


America, You Great Unfinished Symphony

by InkMage



Category: Hamilton - Miranda, Historical RPF
Genre: Bipolar Disorder, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, French Revolution, Gen, George Washington is a Dad, Hamilton Lyrics, Hamilton reacts to Hamilton, Hamilton watches Hamilton, Historical References, Human Disaster Alexander Hamilton, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Out of Character, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slavery, War, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:53:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 30,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27260758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkMage/pseuds/InkMage
Summary: Hamilton watches Hamilton fic, combined with bits of the actual historical events. Because I'm a history nerd, and I want to share my knowledge.
Relationships: Alexander Hamilton/Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler
Comments: 146
Kudos: 221





	1. Preface

I’m more of a reader than a writer these days, but when I stumbled on the ‘Hamilton watching Hamilton’ trend here on A03, I couldn’t resist adding my own. I’ve finished writing this already, so you can rest assured that all chapters will be posted and it will not be abandoned.

The main reason why I wanted to write my own version of this, aside from the excuses of ‘I wanted to write one’ and ‘I wanted to post one that would actually get finished’, is that I wanted to add some more historical details, both to educate the characters and to educate the audience. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE STORY IS GOING TO BE COMPLETELY HISTORICALLY ACCURATE. It means that I have additional info that I found interesting and that I want to share, in case any of you want to learn more about the lives of the real Hamilton squad. Furthermore, I’m also going to add some historical theories: things that some historians believe but cannot be verified. Keep in mind that these are theories only; while I may believe them personally, there are an equal number of sources that dispute them.

Between the song lyrics, the actual history and the historical theories, some of these chapters are going to be massive. You have been warned.

I normally don’t write fanfiction about real people, largely because I feel it's a bit disrespectful to turn an actual person into a tool for you to live out your fantasies with. But a) Hamilton and the other have been dead for centuries, and b) I’m more writing this on the LMM interpretation of real people instead of the actual people (although they’re still going to look like the historical figures, for obvious reasons). Keep in mind that the way I write the Hamilton squad might not be strictly In Character. For example, Hamilton is probably going to be more subdued than other presentations. Furthermore, I’m going to be building some understanding between conflicting groups—not just the usual Hamilton/Burr duo. But that’s the way it is with fanfiction. Everything is up to author interpretation.

Be warned: some parts of this story will discuss topics like mental illnesses, PTSD, slavery and so on. I will obviously tag them, though I want to warn people here. I will also tag the chapters they are in. I’m also probably going to be inconsistent with what people are addressed as. I’ll probably be calling pretty much all of the male characters by their last names (except Hercules, and no I don’t know why I think of him as his first name), with the female characters most likely being called by their first names. But that may vary.

So sit back, and let’s enjoy some reactions


	2. An Abduction

At first, there was nothing. An empty, gaping void stretching around him in darkness. Then, sensation slowly returned to him. The texture of a soft leather sofa pressing against his back, legs and arms. A soft whine, dim and constant, unlike anything he had heard. The smell of rich foods: bread, sausage, fruit and cheese. And the soft shuffling of people around him. Alexander Hamilton forced his eyes open.

“Where--?” he asked in confusion, looking around him. He was sitting in a cavernous room. Before him was a giant screen like one would use for a shadow puppet show, though infinitely larger. It seemed to be the location of the buzzing. The walls of the room were lined with cloths of rich red velvet. Throughout the room was tier upon tier of chairs, stretching upwards, only split by three staircases. However, only the first row of chairs was occupied. Hamilton looked down the row at his fellow occupants, recognising each of them. His beloved wife, Eliza was on his right. Then came her sisters, Angelica and Peggy. The newly established President, George Washington, was stirring in the next seat along. The next two chairs caused Hamilton’s nose to wrinkle in distain. James Madison was tolerable in Hamilton’s eyes, though somewhat ineffective. But Thomas Jefferson he had taken an immediate dislike to, though they had not known each other long. Aaron Burr was in the seat next to Jefferson, looking around the room in startled confusion. The final three seats contained beloved faces: Hercules Mulligan, Lafayette and—

“John? John Laurens?” Hamilton couldn’t stop himself from gasping out. He still remembered the crushing pain of hearing his friend had passed in such a needless battle, and yet here he was, hale and hearty as ever. It was as if Hamilton’s call had broken some sort of spell, and a cacophony of sound erupted from the very confused occupants of the room.

“HAMILTON! If this is some sort of trick—” Jefferson screeched, leaping to his feet.

“Alex, what’s happening? Where’s Philip?” The blatant fear in Eliza’s voice made Hamilton’s heart twinge, and he reached down to clasp her hand.

“Lafayette! Weren’t you supposed to be back in France?” Hercules was clearly trying to keep as calm as possible, though his voice betrayed his nerves.

“I would like to know what is happening here,” Washington’s strong voice cut through the noise. “Does anyone have an answer to our current predicament?”

“That would be me,” a warm voice spoke up from the front of the room. From the left side of the screen came stepped a young black woman dressed in men’s clothes. Her curly black hair was pushed back by a band that was clearly designed to keep it out of her caramel eyes. She tugged gently at the bottom of her white blazer, straitening it in preparation for what was coming. Her trousers were clearly cut in a way that was designed for the female form, something which caused Hamilton to stare in wonder. He could never imagine anyone dressing in such a daring way, even in New York. The rest of the group went quiet, sizing up the newest figure. All except Jefferson, that is. It was clear that his plan for coping with the current situation was to fall back on what he knew.

“Girl!” He barked sharply at her, looking at her form fitting clothes in distain. “I don’t know what you mean by appearing here in such a fashion, but I’m ordering you tell us where we are and what we are doing here. Then, you are to go and retrieve your master, and return in garments that are more suitable to one of your gender…and station.” The sneer in his voice was cruel, but the woman barely seemed fazed. She eyed him up and down, her face completely neutral.

“Quick,” Jefferson snapped, irate at being ignored, “or with God as my witness I will see you flogged.”

“You done yet?” The woman asked, raising one well-groomed eyebrow in askance. Jefferson spluttered with rage, which the woman clearly took as an invitation to continue.

“My name is not Girl,” she began. “It’s Robyn. I’m here for a similar reason as you. Only you lot are here to learn, and I’m here to teach.” Jefferson began to splutter again, which Robyn serenely ignored. “I don’t have a master. Never have. Never will. These clothes are mine. They are completely fine for someone of my so-called ‘station’ and for someone of my gender. That’s why they’re tailored to fit me and not you. And as for the threats—”

Robyn looked at Jefferson whose face was red with fury and shock. “You can’t order me around here,” she said coldly. “You have no whip. No gun. No sticks. No guards or dogs or whatever else you use to torment your slaves. You come near me, and I will knock you on your ass faster than you can say ‘Potomac’. Keep in mind that I’m the descendant of slaves. I would absolutely love to get a few punches in, if only for that reason. ”

“Now,” Robyn said with a smile, turning away from an outraged Jefferson, “let me try again. I’m Robyn, as I mentioned, and you are all in the United States of America. When you left, it was 1790, and you had recently finished the second session of Congress. You are, however, now in the year 2020.”

There was an eruption of sound from the audience at that announcement, expressions of shock and fear and rage. Robyn stood there serenely, patiently waiting until the group went silent before she continued.

“There are times in history when the Fates choose to interfere. Choose to create a—a branch of sorts in history and see what would differ if people knew enough about the future to change their paths. This is one. You see, five years ago, a man named Lin Manuel Miranda wrote a musical about one of you.”  
  


Instantly, the group looked towards Washington expectantly, with Madison even offering a handshake of congratulations. But Robyn shook her head, and wordlessly pointed down the row to the final seat. To Hamilton.

“A musical…about me?” Hamilton asked, slightly dubious.

“A very good, very famous musical about you,” Robyn assured cheerfully. Hamilton took note that Jefferson was once again spluttering with rage, but he was more focused on the warm squeeze of Eliza’s hand.

“This is not how I imagined I’d be remembered,” Hamilton stated dryly.

Robyn only shrugged in response. “Sometimes it is what it is. Now, the musical covers a lot of Secretary Hamilton’s life, as well as the lives of the people in this room. Some of your past…and some of the future we have taken you from. What has been, has been. What is coming can, however, be changed. You lot are here to watch the musical and see what could be, and then we send you home. To the very second you left. Which means, Eliza, that your son Philip will be well and won’t even register your absence. As for my role; well, I’m mostly here to answer whatever questions you might have.”

“And how will you do that?” Jefferson sneered, his voice somewhat weaker than his earlier commands. Robyn leveled a glare at him, and he sat backwards, falling quiet again.

“Firstly, I’m a scholar. A historian. I’m more familiar with the events of the twentieth century as that’s my preferred topic, but I do have a decent knowledge of the founding of America. And what I don’t know…well,” Robin reached into her pocket and withdrew a small rectangular device. “This is a smartphone. It does a lot of things, one being connect to the internet. Basically, this device can substitute for all of your books. It contains a virtually infinite amount of information from a virtually infinite number of sources. What I don’t know I can research in less than a second.”

Hamilton’s eyes grew envious as he stared at the small device. He couldn’t imagine having those sorts of resources at his fingertips, able to provide him with knowledge in a heartbeat. For a second, he imagined leaping upwards, snatching the device, navigating this ‘internet’…but no. The Fates were already allowing him more information than a man normally was allowed. He would not push his luck, at least not this time.

“So, if there are no more issues,” Robyn finished, glaring at Jefferson who rumbled unhappily about black women being scholars but otherwise remained silent, “I’m going to start the musical. This isn’t happening live; we can stop it for whatever reason. There’s food and drinks available”—gesturing to a table in the corner that was clearly the smell that had helped to stir Hamilton to waking—“and ablutions for the men and women. Feel free to sit in whichever seat you want. We just had you in the front row for convenience. The arm rests go up and down for anyone who wants to get closer to the people next to them.”

For a few moments, there was a rustling and shuffling. Hamilton slipped away from Eliza with a smile and joyfully reunited with his wartime friends, grabbing John Laurens in a strong embrace. Jefferson and Madison isolated themselves a few rows back, clearly still feeling overwhelmed. The Schuyler sisters made themselves comfortable in their own small group. Burr and Washington nodded amicably to each other, but both chose to remain where they were, thinking silently and trying to understand the world they had now been thrust into. Though they had chosen to separate, the various parties still sat close to each other, so that they were easily able to call out to each other and look at each other if and when they wanted to. Finally, the historical figures settled down, the screen lit up, and the musical began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> . In case there’s any confusion, Hamilton and his cohorts are in a modern day cinema. Robyn is an OC who basically is there to serve as a means to provide information and mediate discussions. I specifically designed her to be a female POC in what would have been viewed as male clothing because I know that being lectured by a black woman would upset Jefferson the most. And while I respect everything Jefferson did to found America, I still hate him a little.
> 
> Why is Robyn there canonically? How does she know about the Fates and branches in time? Why was she specifically chosen? No clue. Feel free to submit your theories. 
> 
> A side note: the characters are watching the Disney filmed performance of Hamilton, with all swearing replaced through the power of fanfiction. If the characters start talking, you can assume that the musical has been paused. Somehow, no one will be upset by the frequent pausing, even though in real life that would get really irritating.


	3. Alexander Hamilton

**[Aaron Burr:]  
How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a  
Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten  
Spot in the Caribbean by providence, impoverished, in squalor  
Grow up to be a hero and a scholar?**

“Thanks for that,” Hamilton started sarcastically, but his complaint was quickly overthrown by Jefferson.

“A Negro is performing?! ABOUT HAMILTON?!”

Robyn didn’t even hesitate to pause the musical and lay into Jefferson once more. “Your first history update,” she started, her voice cold, “is that we consider all men—and women—to actually be equal. No matter their place of birth, their religion, their profession, or even the colour of their skin. And while there are those that don’t believe in that statement, they are considered to be assholes of the highest order.”

The group gasped in shock, unused to the idea of a woman expressing such strong language.

“All of the characters—with the exception of two—in this musical are people of colour,” Robyn continued. “Whether that be Puerto Rican, black, Asian, or whatever else. Including you. In short, Jefferson-of-a-bitch: you preach equality between men. We actually enforce it—or at least, we enforce it better than you ever did. Sit down, shut up, and learn to be more fucking tolerant.”

There was a brief pause. Then—“I like her,” in a loud whisper from Hamilton broke the stillness. Muffled giggles from the Schuyler sisters and Hamilton’s friends swiftly followed, with Washington levelling a chiding glance at the completely unrepentant man.

**[John Laurens:]  
The ten-dollar Founding Father without a father  
Got a lot farther by working a lot harder  
By being a lot smarter  
By being a self-starter  
By fourteen, they placed him in charge of a trading charter**

"They put me on money?!" Hamilton exclaimed in delight.

"They put him on money?!" Jefferson exclaimed in horror.

“THEY PLACED A CHILD IN CHARGE OF A TRADING CHARTER?!” Angelica erupted.

There was a long pause, then, a response of “Good point” from Washington. Hamilton shrugged in response, seemingly unconcerned.

**[Thomas Jefferson:]  
And every day while slaves were being slaughtered and carted  
Away across the waves, he struggled and kept his guard up  
Inside, he was longing for something to be a part of  
The brother was ready to beg, steal, borrow, or barter**

“Theft is illegal,” Jefferson said smugly.

“I’ll remind you of that if you’re ever starving in the streets,” Hamilton responded, his voice sickly sweet.

**[James Madison:]  
Then a hurricane came, and devastation reigned  
Our man saw his future drip, dripping down the drain  
Put a pencil to his temple, connected it to his brain  
And he wrote his first refrain, a testament to his pain**

“Oh, Alex,” Eliza sighed softly. Hamilton resolutely kept his attention on the screen, deliberately ignoring the reactions of the people around him. While he was immensely flattered to have his story told, he wasn’t as fond of the pitying glances that everyone seemed determined to give him.

**[Burr:]  
Well, the word got around, they said, "This kid is insane, man."  
Took up a collection just to send him to the mainland  
"Get your education, don't forget from whence you came, and  
The world's gonna know your name. What's your name, man?"**

“Mon ami, your trip to America was funded by the people of your town?” Lafayette questioned quietly.   
“I can never thank them enough,” Hamilton responded, his voice quiet and grim. “I would have died in Nevis. I had no money, no property, no hope for the future. There was no way for me to come to America on my own.”

**[Alexander Hamilton:]  
Alexander Hamilton  
My name is Alexander Hamilton  
And there's a million things I haven't done  
But just you wait, just you wait...**

“This is Lin Manuel Miranda,” Robyn interjected briefly. “He’s the one who wrote all the music for _Hamilton_.”

**[Eliza Hamilton:]  
When he was ten his father split, full of it, debt-ridden  
Two years later, see Alex and his mother bed-ridden  
Half-dead sittin' in their own sick, the scent thick**

**[Full Company except Hamilton (whispering):]  
And Alex got better but his mother went quick**

Hamilton’s friends insistently pulled him into a group hug, offering him what comfort they could. The rest of the room sat stunned, amazed at how hard the young soldier’s life had been even before reaching America.

**[George Washington (Company):]  
Moved in with a cousin, the cousin committed suicide  
Left him with nothin' but ruined pride, something new inside  
A voice saying, "Alex, you gotta fend for yourself."  
He started retreatin' and readin' every treatise on the shelf**

“Son—” Washington began.

“Not your son,” Hamilton grumbled, refusing to listen.

**[Burr (Company):]  
There would've been nothin' left to do  
For someone less astute  
He would've been dead or destitute  
Without a cent of restitution  
Started workin', clerkin' for his late mother's landlord  
Tradin' sugar cane and rum and all the things he can't afford**

**  
Scammin' for every book he can get his hands on**

**Plannin' for the future see him now as he stands on (ooh...)  
The bow of a ship headed for a new land  
In New York you can be a new man**

“America was my only chance,” Hamilton said softly. “My only chance to get away, to grow into something more.”

**[Company (Hamilton):]  
In New York you can (just you wait) be a new man  
In New York you can (just you wait) be a new man  
In New York you can be a new man  
[Women:] In New York  
[Men:] New York  
[Hamilton:] Just you wait!**

**[Company:]  
Alexander Hamilton (Alexander Hamilton)  
We are waiting in the wings for you (waiting in the wings for you)  
You could never back down  
You never learned to take your time!**

“They have you down to a tee,” Laurens joked.

**  
Oh, Alexander Hamilton (Alexander Hamilton)  
When America sings for you  
Will they know what you overcame?  
Will they know you rewrote the game?  
The world will never be the same, oh**

**[Burr:]  
The ship is in the harbor now  
See if you can spot him ([Men:] Just you wait)  
Another immigrant  
Comin' up from the bottom ([Company:] Just you wait)  
His enemies destroyed his rep  
America forgot him**

“Enemies?” Eliza asked, her voice softly cracking.

“America…forgot me?” Hamilton’s voice shook. In this line hid his worst fear: leaving behind no true impact on the world.

**[Mulligan/Madison and Lafayette/Jefferson:]  
We fought with him**

**[Laurens/Philip:]  
Me? I died for him**

**[Washington:]  
Me? I trusted him**

**[Eliza and Angelica and Peggy/Maria:]  
Me? I loved him**

**[Burr:]  
And me? I'm the damn fool that shot him**

“Who is that?” Hamilton asked.

Robyn paused for a second, then quietly answered: “Aaron Burr.”

Burr’s face was pale with fear and horror. He looked around as if in askance, pleading silently for someone to explain, but only received looks of shock and judgement in response.

**[Company:]  
There's a million things I haven't done  
But just you wait!**

**[Burr:]  
What's your name, man?**

**[Company:]  
Alexander Hamilton!**

“I…I liked the music,” Peggy said weakly, clearly trying to distract people from the most recent revelation. While there were mutterings of agreement, the comment could not delay what was about to happen.

“I don’t understand,” Burr said. “I may not always agree with Hamilton, but I don’t want him dead! Why would I shoot him?”

“Are you my enemy, Burr?” Hamilton asked, standing and separating himself from his friends. “The one who is going to destroy my reputation? And why?”

Robyn stepped forward, gently pushing Alexander back to his seat. “The musical will explain,” she reminded everyone, her voice far more gentle than before the song. “But let me remind you: what has been will stay as it is. What your future becomes—including yours, Mr Burr—is still up to you.”


	4. Aaron Burr, Sir

**[Company:]  
1776\. New York City.**

“When I met the rest of you,” Hamilton said with a smile, looking around at his friends. He received a variety of side hugs, cheek kisses (from Lafayette, naturally) and a shoulder punch as the small group relished being together for the first time in a long time.

**[Hamilton:]  
Pardon me. Are you Aaron Burr, sir?**

**[Burr:]  
That depends. Who's asking?**

“What is that on my face?” Burr suddenly asked, pointing to the wire extending along his counterpart’s jawline.

“That’s a microphone,” Robyn supplied. “This musical is performed to an audience of hundreds, if not thousands. So that everyone can hear, we have technology that takes the sound through microphones and broadcasts it around the room through speakers.”

“Then why is this Lin Manuel Miranda not wearing a microphone?” Burr asked in curiosity.

“He is,” Robyn assured him. “He has a very small microphone clipped into his hair at the front of his face. But your actor’s hair is too short to hide the microphone, so you have a larger one on your face instead.”

“Is that why my counterpart sounds like he has a lisp?” Burr asked, intrigued. “Because of this microphone?”

“Exactly,” Robyn confirmed. “If you listen to the music from the show, rather than watch it live, your counterpart doesn’t lisp. But because of the microphone he is wearing, he sounds like he does.”

**[Hamilton:]  
Oh, well, sure, sir  
I'm Alexander Hamilton, I'm at your service, sir  
I have been looking for you**

**[Burr:]  
I'm getting nervous**

“You sound like a stalker,” Jefferson called to Hamilton, smirking.

“I don’t blame Burr for being sketched out,” Hercules mused.

**[Hamilton:]  
Sir…  
I heard your name at Princeton. I was seeking an accelerated course of study when I got sort of out of sorts with a buddy of yours. I may have punched him. It's a blur, sir. He handles the financials?**

**[Burr:]  
You punched the bursar?**

**[Hamilton:]  
Yes!**

The room groaned at how satisfied Hamilton was in that singular word.

“I’m happy that he was able to figure out who it was from my description,” Hamilton defended his onscreen counterpart hotly.

“So you regret punching the bursar,” Peggy asked, smirking, clearly knowing the answer.

Hamilton paused for a moment, searching for a defense, then slouched down in his seat with a muttered “Nemo tenetur se ipsum accusare.”

**I wanted to do what you did. Graduate in two, then join the revolution.**

**He looked at me like I was stupid—I'm not stupid.  
So how'd you do it? How'd you graduate so fast?**

**[Burr:]  
It was my parents' dying wish before they passed**

**[Hamilton:]  
You're an orphan. Of course! I'm an orphan**

“Yay, we both have dead parents,” Jefferson mocked.

“More like, ‘yay, I have someone who has proven through his mere existence that someone like myself can be more than just another orphan’,” Hamilton snarked back. Burr raised his eyebrow, not having previously considered what their similarities might represent for someone like Hamilton.

**  
God, I wish there was a war!  
Then we could prove that we're worth more  
Than anyone bargained for…**

“S—Alexander,” Washington said firmly, “wars are not something to go seeking out.”

“I mean, I get that now,” Hamilton said, pointedly ignoring Jefferson’s incredulous scoffs, “but you have to admit that wars are one of the few ways that someone like myself can do something meaningful with their lives. The only way for a poor boy to become anything more than a poor man is to either marry rich or join the military.”

**[Burr:]  
Can I buy you a drink?**

**[Hamilton:]  
That would be nice**

**[Burr:]  
While we're talking, let me offer you some free advice  
Talk less**

An eruption of chuckles came across the room. Even Hamilton couldn’t hold back a self-deprecating smile.

**[Hamilton:]  
What?**

**[Burr:]  
Smile more**

**[Hamilton:]  
Ha**

**[Burr:]  
Don't let them know what you're against or what you're for**

“I might be wrong,” Laurens said, his voice rife with faux-innocence, “but something tells me that Hamilton doesn’t listen to this advice.”

**[Hamilton:]  
You can't be serious**

**[Burr:]  
You wanna get ahead?**

**[Hamilton:]  
Yes**

**[Burr:]  
Fools who run their mouths off wind up dead**

“Way to bring down the mood,” Peggy interjected.

**[Laurens:]  
Yo yo yo yo yo!  
What time is it?**

**[Laurens/Lafayette/Mulligan:]  
Show time!**

**[Burr:]  
Like I said…**

“Nice foreshadowing,” Laurens said, leaning back. Hamilton looked at his friend, silently puzzling. If what Robyn said was true…if the past was to remain the way it was…what did that mean for John Laurens?

**[Laurens:]  
Show time! Show time! Yo!  
I'm John Laurens in the place to be!  
A two pints o' Sam Adams, but I'm workin' on three, uh!  
Those redcoats don't want it with me!  
'Cause I will pop chick-a pop these cops 'til I'm free!**

“Pop chick-a pop?” Madison asked in confusion.

“Could be onomatopoeic of a pistol being fired, could just be because it sounds cool,” Robyn explained with a shrug. “Sometimes these types of music integrate sounds instead of words.”

**[Lafayette:]  
Oui oui, mon ami, je m'appelle Lafayette!  
The Lancelot of the revolutionary set!  
I came from afar just to say "Bonsoir!"  
Tell the King "Casse toi!" Who's the best?  
C'est moi!**

“Did you just tell the King to f—” Peggy started with a wicked grin.

“I believe we all know what he said,” Angelica said sternly. “There is no need to repeat it.”

Washington was briefly tempted to announce his lack of understanding, but the glare levelled at him from Angelica changed his mind for him.

**[Mulligan:]  
Brrrah brraaah! I am Hercules Mulligan  
Up in it, lovin' it, yes I heard ya mother said, "Come again?"**

**[Lafayette and Laurens:]  
Ayyyyy**

**[Mulligan:]  
Lock up ya daughters and horses, of course  
It's hard to have intercourse over four sets of corsets…**

Peggy let out a wicked laugh, but the other two Schuyler sisters levelled glares at the man. Hercules smiled completely unrepentantly, a roguish glint in his eyes.

**[Lafayette:]  
Wow**

**[Laurens:]  
No more sex, pour me another brew, son!  
Let's raise a couple more…**

**[Laurens/Lafayette/Mulligan:]  
To the revolution!**

“A dangerous thing to toast,” Washington warned the group, his eyes flickering around the stage for the tell-tale red of the uniform of a British soldier.

**[Laurens:]  
Well, if it ain't the prodigy of Princeton college!**

**[Mulligan:]  
Aaron Burr!**

**[Laurens:]  
Give us a verse, drop some knowledge!**

**[Burr:]  
Good luck with that: you're takin' a stand  
You spit. I'mma sit. We'll see where we land**

Hamilton and his friends booed Burr, rolling their eyes at his reluctance to participate.

**[Lafayette/Mulligan:]  
Boooo!**

**[Laurens:]  
Burr, the revolution's imminent. What do you stall for?**

**[Hamilton:]  
If you stand for nothing, Burr, what'll you fall for?**

“Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything,” Hamilton said firmly; a statement he had told Burr more than once before.

**[Mulligan/Lafayette/Laurens:]  
Ooh**

**[Laurens:]  
Who are you?**

**[Mulligan:]  
Who are you?**

**[Lafayette:]  
Who are you?**

**[Mulligan/Lafayette/Laurens:]  
Ooh, who is this kid? What's he gonna do?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The revolutionary group sadly did not coincidentally meet in the same bar. Hercules was Hamilton’s first roommate and co-worker when he moved to America, so they met a bit earlier than in the musical. It is possible that Hercules was the leading influence in Hamilton becoming a revolutionary, although some historians credit that to William Livingston. Laurens was in England at this time, and wouldn’t come back to America for a few more years, and Lafayette was still in France (though he was starting to make plans to go to America at this stage). However, since parts of the musical won’t make sense if you correct this historical inaccuracy, I’ll let it go. 
> 
> ‘Casse toi’ is a French phrase that basically means ‘Fuck off’. ‘Nemo tenetur se ipsum accusare’ is a Latin phrase that translates to ‘no man is bound to accuse himself’, and was basically the prelude to ‘I have the right to remain silent’. ‘Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything’ is a quote attributed to Alexander Hamilton, though it’s not certain if or when he said it. 
> 
> Since Peggy doesn’t have much in the way of development, I’ve decided that for the sake of this story, she’s going to be a bit more of a wild child. Willing to laugh at dirty jokes, occasionally swearing—if only to shock her sisters—and generally being the most unreserved of the trio.
> 
> Also, sorry about the long winded ramble about the microphones. The one big thing that irritated me when I watched the Disney Hamilton production was Leslie Odom Jr’s lisp while playing Burr, particularly since he didn’t sound that way on the cast recording. I went searching for answers on why he was lisping onstage, and discovered quite a few sound technicians explaining why he sounded the way he did. But I figure that the historical counterparts would probably be interested in how so many people could hear the performers singing and rapping despite the crowd and the massive orchestra, so it’s still relevant in context.


	5. My Shot

**[Hamilton:]  
I am not throwing away my shot!  
I am not throwing away my shot!  
Hey yo, I'm just like my country  
I'm young, scrappy and hungry  
And I'm not throwing away my shot!**

“Wait—is this a new song,” Eliza asked, her voice startled.

“Yup,” Robyn responded with a grin. “A lot of these songs are designed to lead one into another.”

The group muttered approvingly, nodding at the skill of the writer who had created such pieces.

**I'm 'a get a scholarship to King's College  
I probably shouldn't brag, but dang, I amaze and astonish  
The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish  
I gotta holler just to be heard  
With every word, I drop knowledge!**

“Shut up, Jefferson,” Hamilton called out.

“I didn’t say anything!” Jefferson objected.

“But were you going to?” Hamilton asked, turning around and arching an eyebrow.

There was a pause, then Jefferson finally responded, “Shut up, Hamilton.”

**I'm a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal**

**Tryin' to reach my goal. My power of speech: unimpeachable  
Only nineteen but my mind is older  
These New York City streets get colder, I shoulder  
Every burden, every disadvantage  
I have learned to manage, I don't have a gun to brandish  
I walk these streets famished**

**[Laurens:]  
Ooh!**

“Were you literally famished?” Lafayette asked, “or is this—how you say—when a writer is distorting information to improve their work?”

“Poetic licence,” Hamilton supplied the term, “And it was pretty literal.”

“Pretty literal?” Hercules snorted. “Try ‘completely true’. Our dear Alexander used to be a figure from a tragic pulp novel: a starving immigrant on the snowy streets of some uncaring city with barely a dollar to his name.”

Lafayette draped himself over Hamilton in a massive hug. For his part, Hamilton bore his friend’s overexuberance with patience.

**[Hamilton:]  
The plan is to fan this spark into a flame  
But damn, it's getting dark, so let me spell out the name**

“Why would he need to spell out his name because it’s getting dark?” Burr asked in confusion.

“He’s looking to be recognised, but he is worried about running out of time or missing his chance,” Angelica interpreted. “He wants to become a flame before it gets dark and it’s too late to do so.”

**  
I am the**

**[Hamilton/Lafayette/Mulligan/Laurens:]  
A-L-E-X-A-N-D  
E-R—we are meant to be…**

**[Hamilton:]  
A colony that runs independently  
Meanwhile, Britain keeps shittin' on us endlessly**

**Essentially, they tax us relentlessly  
Then King George turns around, runs a spending spree**

**He ain't ever gonna set his descendants free  
So there will be a revolution in this century**

Washington nodded in appreciation and respect for the rhythm and metric of this new, strange music, and how it so concisely explained many of the issues that America had with remaining a colony.

**  
Enter me!**

**[Lafayette/Mulligan/Laurens:]  
(He says in parentheses)**

**[Hamilton:]  
Don't be shocked when your history book mentions me  
I will lay down my life if it sets us free**

**Eventually, you'll see my ascendancy**

“Sounding a little bit too eager to get yourself killed there, Alexander,” Angelica said with a smile. However, her eyes were dark with concern for the man she had always loved, though in more ways than one.

**[Hamilton (Laurens):]  
And I am not throwing away  
My shot (My shot)  
I am not throwing away  
My shot (My shot)  
Hey yo, I'm just like my country  
I'm young, scrappy and hungry  
And I'm not throwing away my shot (And I'm not throwing away my shot)**

**[Hamilton/Mulligan/Laurens/Lafayette:]  
I am not throwing away my shot  
I am not throwing away my shot  
Hey yo, I'm just like my country  
I'm young, scrappy and hungry  
And I'm not throwing away my shot**

“This refrain is obnoxious,” Jefferson complained.

Even Hamilton had to agree a little. While he was loving how this musical managed to explain so much of how he was feeling, the repetition was somewhat irritating.

**  
It's time to take a shot!**

“Alcohol, taking a chance, or firing a gun?” Hercules asked.

“All of them?” Laurens guessed.

**[Lafayette:]  
I dream of life without a monarchy  
The unrest in France will lead to 'onarchy?  
'Onarchy? How you say, how you say, oh, 'Anarchy'!**

**When I fight, I make the other side panicky  
With my**

**[Hamilton/Laurens/Lafayette/Mulligan:]  
Shot!**

“My English was so poor back then,” Lafayette laughed, enjoying the nostalgia of his early days in America.

“It was better than any of the other French officers,” Washington pointed out dryly. “And at least you made the effort to try and learn English, rather than sneering at us in your own language.”

**[Mulligan:]  
Yo, I'm a tailor's apprentice  
And I got y'all knuckleheads in loco parentis  
I'm joining the rebellion 'cause I know it's my chance  
To socially advance, instead of sewin' some pants!  
I'm gonna take a**

**[Hamilton/Laurens/Lafayette/Mulligan:]  
Shot!**

“Ironic, considering where I ended up after the war,” Hercules smirked.

“Where did you end up, mon ami?” Lafayette asked.

“Back working as a tailor,” Hercules laughed. “I decided that social advancement really wasn’t for me in the end.”

**[Laurens:]  
Yeah but we'll never be truly free  
Until those in bondage have the same rights as you and me  
You and I. Do or die. Wait 'til I sally in  
On a stallion with the first black battalion**

**Have another**

**[Hamilton/Laurens/Lafayette/Mulligan:]  
Shot!**

Laurens didn’t say anything, but his gaze drifted over to where Robyn was casually leaning against a wall, nodding in time to the music, living proof that his dream would one day become a reality. Now the only question he had was how long the slaves would have to wait.

**[Burr:]  
Geniuses, lower your voices  
You keep out of trouble and you double your choices  
I'm with you, but the situation is fraught  
You've got to be carefully taught:  
If you talk, you're gonna get shot!**

“You were all so reckless,” Burr justified. “Getting drunk and then loudly discussing wanting to revolt against the king. You were lucky there were no Redcoats around to drag the four of you off to prison—if you were lucky enough to make it to prison and not just get hanged somewhere along the road.”

**[Hamilton:]  
Burr, check what we got  
Mister Lafayette, hard rock like Lancelot!**

**I think your pants look hot!**

**Laurens, I like you a lot!  
Let's hatch a plot blacker than the kettle callin' the pot...  
What are the odds the gods would put us all in one spot  
Poppin' a squat on conventional wisdom, like it or not  
A bunch of revolutionary manumission abolitionists?  
Give me a position, show me where the ammunition is!**

“This is really quite impressive,” Peggy said with a smile. “The way that this man can say so many words so rapidly, while rhyming them, yet still have it sound clean and coherent? I can’t imagine the effort this must have taken to create.”

**Oh, am I talkin' too loud?**

“Nooo,” Jefferson said sarcastically. “Not at all.”

**Sometimes I get over-excited, shoot off at the mouth**

**I never had a group of friends before  
I promise that I'll make y'all proud**

**[Laurens:]  
Let's get this guy in front of a crowd**

“The last thing Hamilton has ever needed is an audience,” Madison said wryly.

**[Hamilton/Laurens/Lafayette/Mulligan/Ensemble:]  
I am not throwing away my shot  
I am not throwing away my shot  
Hey yo, I'm just like my country  
I'm young, scrappy and hungry  
And I'm not throwing away my shot**

**I am not throwing away my shot  
I am not throwing away my shot  
Hey yo, I'm just like my country  
I'm young, scrappy and hungry  
And I'm not throwing away my shot**

**[Laurens (Hamilton/Lafayette/Mulligan):]  
Everybody sing:  
Whoa, whoa, whoa (Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!)**

“Same song?” Eliza asked, uncertain.

“Same song,” Robyn confirmed. “Just a bit of a change in musical style to provide some variation. There’s only so many times you can repeat the phrase ‘not throwing away my shot’ in a row.”

**  
Hey!  
Whoa! (Whoa!)  
Wooh!  
Whoa! (Whoa!)  
Ay, let 'em hear ya!  
(Yeah!)  
Let's go!**

**[Laurens (Company):]  
(Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!)  
I said shout it to the rooftops! (Whoa!)  
Said, to the rooftops! (Whoa!)  
Come on!  
(Yeah!)  
Come on, let's go!**

**[Laurens:]  
Rise up!  
When you're living on your knees, you rise up  
Tell your brother that he's gotta rise up  
Tell your sister that she's gotta rise up**

The Schuyler trio shot grateful looks at Laurens, appreciating the mention of women when discussing the revolutionary movement.

**[Laurens and Ensemble (Company):]  
When are these colonies gonna rise up?  
When are these colonies gonna rise up? (Whoa!)  
When are these colonies gonna rise up? (Whoa!)  
When are these colonies gonna rise up? (Whoa!)  
Rise up!**

**[Hamilton:]  
I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory**

“That’s…that’s not normal,” Hercules commented, shooting a concerned look at Hamilton.

“Live in strife long enough, have death follow you as a constant companion, and you start imagining what it’s actually like in vivid detail,” Hamilton responded defensively.

**When's it gonna get me?  
In my sleep? Seven feet ahead of me?  
If I see it comin', do I run or do I let it be?**

**Is it like a beat without a melody?**

**  
See, I never thought I'd live past twenty  
Where I come from some get half as many**

Hamilton winced a bit, thinking about all those he had seen die far too young: not just from the hurricane, but from lack of medicine, lack of food or water, lack of shelter, or just plain lack of anyone to care for them.

**Ask anybody why we livin' fast and we laugh, reach for a flask  
We have to make this moment last, that's plenty**

**Scratch that  
This is not a moment, it's the movement  
Where all the hungriest brothers with something to prove went.  
Foes oppose us, we take an honest stand  
We roll like Moses, claimin' our promised land**

The small group of revolutionary soldiers nodded to each other, a silent solidarity coming to light. Though they had fought in the war for different reasons, all had been hungry to achieve their goals, to take a stand and free the country they loved.

**  
And? If we win our independence?  
Is that a guarantee of freedom for our descendants?  
Or will the blood we shed begin an endless  
Cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants?**

Washington looked towards Hamilton in surprise. While he knew that his favourite aide-de-camp was incredibly intelligent and savvy when considering how future events may play out, it was still startling to hear so many of Washington’s concerns for the future come out of Hamilton’s mouth.

**I know the action in the street is excitin'  
But Jesus, between all the bleedin' 'n fightin'  
I've been readin' 'n writin'  
We need to handle our financial situation  
Are we a nation of states? What's the state of our nation?**

“You were worrying about America’s finances all the way back then?” Jefferson asked, reluctantly impressed with his foresight (not that he would admit it).

“Wars are expensive,” Hamilton justified. “So many wars in history haven’t been won or lost through manpower or superior weaponry. They are won or lost because one side will run out of money for supplies and will be forced to surrender or starve.”

**I'm past patiently waitin'. I'm passionately  
Smashin' every expectation  
Every action's an act of creation!**

**I'm laughin' in the face of casualties and sorrow  
For the first time, I'm thinkin' past tomorrow.**

“You can’t live day to day if you want to win a war or build a country,” Hamilton explained without prompting. “You need to plan for the future, attempt to foresee whatever challenges may come your way, prepare plans and backup plans to circumnavigate these issues…it was rather different from Nevis, where my main concern was earning enough money to be able to afford dinner at the end of the day.”

**[Hamilton and Company:]  
And I am not throwing away my shot  
I am not throwing away my shot  
Hey yo, I'm just like my country  
I'm young, scrappy and hungry  
And I'm not throwing away my shot**

**[Hamilton/Laurens/Lafayette/Mulligan (Ensemble):]  
We're gonna rise up! (Not throwing away my shot) Time to take a shot!  
We're gonna rise up! (Not throwing away my shot) Time to take a shot!  
We're gonna (Rise up! Rise up!)  
It's time to take a shot! (Rise up! Rise up!)  
It's time to take a shot! (Rise up!)  
(Rise up!) (Woooah!)  
It's time to take a shot! (Rise up!)  
Take a shot! Shot! Shot!  
A-yo it's time to take a shot!  
Time to take a shot!  
And I am not throwing away my  
[Company:] Not throwing away my shot!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N. The refrain for My Shot is really obnoxious. Just saying. 
> 
> France sent a lot of generals and military officers to America to help fight in the revolution. Washington hated the vast majority of them, because none of them made the effort to speak English or try to relate to their own soldiers and their reasons for joining the war. The big exception was Lafayette, who was actually dedicated to the American cause, and not just there to fight the British. That’s one of the reasons why Washington was so quickly taken with Lafayette, which lead to them becoming close friends in the future.


	6. The Story of Tonight

**[Hamilton:]  
I may not live to see our glory!**

**[Lafayette/Mulligan/Laurens:]  
I may not live to see our glory!**

**[Hamilton:]  
But I will gladly join the fight!**

**[Lafayette/Mulligan/Laurens:]  
But I will gladly join the fight!**

The quartet bowed their head solemnly, listening as the soft song highlighted how they had all felt as soldiers—accepting that their service may lead to their deaths, but still being willing to lay down their lives if it would see America achieve its freedom.

**[Hamilton:]  
And when our children tell our story…**

**[Lafayette/Mulligan/Laurens:]  
And when our children tell our story…**

**[Hamilton:]  
They'll tell the story of tonight**

**[Mulligan:]  
Let's have another round tonight**

**[Lafayette:]  
Let's have another round tonight**

**[Hamilton:]  
Let's have another round tonight**

There was a certain nostalgia in the scene the musical set: four dear friends, drinking far too much alcohol as they prepared not only to risk life and limb, but to defend the men sitting beside them, and all the men they were bound to serve with.

**[Laurens:]  
Raise a glass to freedom  
Something they can never take away  
No matter what they tell you**

Laurens briefly considered the irony of the most fervent abolitionist of the group singing about freedom not being something that could be taken away. ‘ _Then again, freedom of the body and freedom of the mind and soul could be considered to be different,’_ he reflected. Part of him wanted to discuss the topic, but he knew that now wasn’t the time. There would be opportunities to rage against slavery; now was the time for thinking about the prelude to war.

**  
Raise a glass to the four of us**

**[Laurens/Mulligan:]  
Tomorrow there'll be more of us**

**[Mulligan/Lafayette/Laurens:]  
Telling the story of tonight**

**[Hamilton:]  
They'll tell the story of tonight**

Hercules noticed Burr still sitting alone. With a quick gesture of his head, Hercules invited him to come closer to the group, recognising him as a fellow soldier, even if not as close to the rest of them. Burr nodded in gratefulness but waved Hercules away. Burr had no intension of intruding on their time together, even if he had been invited to intrude.

**[Laurens/Mulligan/Lafayette:]  
Raise a glass to freedom  
Something they can never take away**

**[Hamilton:]  
No matter what they tell you**

**[Mulligan/Lafayette:]  
Let's have another round tonight**

Washington looked over the quartet in the corner and Burr by himself, with a sense of both regret and pride. No general wanted to send troops into battle, much less troops that had barely reached adulthood. But the young men in the room had conducted themselves with honour, dignity and bravery, with each having a significant impact in helping the Patriot cause succeed.

 _‘Remarkable’_ , he thought to himself, scanning all of their figures in the dim light. ‘ _All of them are absolutely remarkable.’_

**[Laurens:]  
Raise a glass to the four of us**

**[Hamilton/Laurens/Mulligan/Lafayette:]  
Tomorrow there'll be more of us**

**[Hamilton/Laurens:]  
Telling the story of tonight**

**[Mulligan/Lafayette:]  
Let's have another round tonight**

**[Hamilton/Laurens/Ensemble (Mulligan/Lafayette/Ensemble):]  
They'll tell the story of tonight (Raise a glass to freedom)  
They'll tell the story of tonight (Raise a glass to freedom)  
They'll tell the story of tonight (They'll tell the story of)  
[Full Ensemble:] Tonight**

The Hamilton crew were somewhat startled as the song wound down to its soft conclusion to see Robyn with a fragile smile on her face, her eyes closed as the music drew to a close. Though nobody asked her about her reaction, after a moment’s pause, she explained.

“I didn’t think this song was all that special, the first few times I heard it. It was nice and all, but I saw it as just another ‘we’re friends who are about to go to war together, but we’ll be fine because we’re friends’ song. An idea that’s been done plenty of times in different musicals, and sometimes better than was done here. But then I saw this interview with Leslie Odom Jr—that’s the actor playing Aaron Burr. When he was asked which song in the musical had the biggest impact on him, he said it was _The Story of Tonight_ because it’s the first time he had ever seen four male people of colour up on a stage together, singing about friendship, camaraderie and brotherhood. That’s—that’s not something that we get to see a lot. Ever since I saw that interview, I’ve viewed that song with a particular fondness.”

The historical group nodded their understanding. Even Jefferson refrained from making comments about people of colour performing in theatres. Instead, everyone respected that even if the song did not fully connect with them on such a personal level, or if it resonated them in a different way, it would mean so much to so many people in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Robyn is very much echoing my thoughts here. I still think The Story of Tonight is okay, but nothing ground-breaking. But Leslie Odom Jr’s comments helped change my opinion slightly. The music in it might pale in comparison to the rest of the musical, but I appreciate The Story of Tonight a lot more for what it represents, if only to our beloved Aaron Burr, sir.


	7. The Schuyler Sisters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normally I save chapter notes for warnings and/or more detailed historical discussion (or at leas that's my plan for this series. But I wanted to take a moment to celebrate: I learned today that I passed my final assignment for uni, and I'm able to graduate with my Masters of Teaching! You have no clue how anxious I've been over the past few months waiting for this final assignment to come back, but it's all good!

**[Burr:]  
There's nothing rich folks love more  
Than going downtown and slummin' it with the poor**

“I’m sorry?” Peggy asked, her voice deceptively sweet while her eyes blazed with fire.

“Artistic licence!” Burr was quick to yelp, sensing the danger that the young woman represented.

**  
They pull up in their carriages and gawk  
At the students in the common  
Just to watch them talk  
Take Philip Schuyler: the man is loaded**

“Daddy?” Peggy asked.

“I have a feeling I know who is about to be introduced,” Angelica remarked, her face breaking out into a beaming smile.

**  
Uh-oh, but little does he know that  
His daughters, Peggy, Angelica, Eliza  
Sneak into the city just to watch all the guys at**

**[Company:]  
Work, work!**

**[Angelica:]  
Angelica!**

Angelica smiled in delight at the beautiful young woman who was clearly going to be portraying her for the duration of the musical

**[Company:]  
Work, work!  
[Eliza:]  
Eliza!**

Eliza gently squeezed the hands of both of her sisters, feeling slightly overwhelmed at being a major character in a musical based on historical events. The idea of building a legacy that would result in her being remembered centuries later had never really been a concern of hers, and yet here she was anyway.

**[Peggy:]  
And Peggy!**

Peggy hooted in hilarity at the sardonic smile on her counterpart’s face as the actress was firmly pulled around the stage by her older ‘siblings’.

**[Company:]  
Work, work!  
The Schuyler sisters!  
[Angelica:]  
Angelica!  
[Peggy:]  
Peggy!  
[Eliza:]  
Eliza!  
[Company:]  
Work!**

All three sisters were already sitting forward in their chairs, putting the armrests up so that they could cuddle together in a close-knit huddle.

**[Peggy:]  
Daddy said to be home by sundown  
[Angelica:]  
Daddy doesn't need to know**

“Was I really that much of a suck-up?” Peggy asked with an eyeroll.

“For a while,” Angelica remarked. “Then you decided that no one could tell you what to do, and we haven’t had a moment’s peace since.”

Peggy jabbed her sister in the side in response, instigating a squeal of objection and a flurry of limbs as Eliza tried to separate the pair.

**[Peggy:]  
Daddy said not to go downtown  
[Eliza:]  
Like I said, you're free to go**

“I didn’t realize you were such a rebel,” Hamilton called across the room, his voice gently teasing. Eliza blushed in response, giving him a sideways glance filled with amusement and mischief.

**[Angelica:]  
But look around, look around  
The revolution's happening in New York  
[Eliza/Peggy:]  
New York  
[Company:]  
Angelica  
[Schuyler Sisters and company:]  
Work!**

**[Peggy:]  
It's bad enough daddy wants to go to war**

“I might have agreed with the necessity of war,” Peggy justified, “but it’s hard when you’re expected to sit on the sidelines as the ones you love leave to risk their lives.”

**[Eliza:]  
People shouting in the square**

“You four?” Angelica asked with a raised eyebrow at the group of soldiers.   
“Most likely,” Hercules said with a shrug.

**  
[Peggy:]  
It's bad enough there'll be violence on our shore  
[Angelica:]  
New ideas in the air**

“The war might have been frightening,” Angelica reflected, “but the promise of a new government, a change to the status quo…everything still felt so alive and new. At least at first.”

**  
[Angelica and Male Ensemble:]  
Look around, look around  
[Eliza:]  
Angelica, remind me what we're looking for…  
[All men:]  
She's lookin' for me!**

Peggy whooped in excitement and amusement as all the men on stage flashed their muscles, once again jabbing at Angelica.

“You are such a pest,” Angelica complained, yet she couldn’t help but smile.

**[Angelica (Company):]  
Eliza, I'm lookin' for a mind at work (Work, work!)  
I'm lookin' for a mind at work! (Work, work!)  
I'm lookin' for a mind at work! (Work, work!)  
Whooaaaaa!**

**[Eliza/Angelica/Peggy:]  
Whooaaaaa!  
Work!**

**[Burr:]  
Wooh! There's nothin' like summer in the city  
Someone in a rush next to someone lookin' pretty  
Excuse me, miss, I know it's not funny  
But your perfume smells like your daddy's got money**

Burr flushed with embarrassment as the room broke down in hilarity.

“What kind of attempt at flirting was that?” Laurens choked out as he collapsed into Lafayette’s side, the pair barely able to breathe through their laughter.

**Why you slummin' in the city in your fancy heels  
You searching for an urchin who can give you ideals?  
[Angelica:]  
Burr, you disgust me  
[Burr:]  
Ah, so you've discussed me  
I'm a trust fund, baby, you can trust me!**

“IT GETS BETTER!” Hercules cheered in delight. Burr slumped down as far as he could in his seat, trying desperately to hide from the embarrassment in his early days at attempting to woo women. Only Washington appeared sympathetic to his plight, though the General’s mouth had a distinct upwards twitch to it.

**[Angelica:]  
I've been reading _Common Sense_ by Thomas Paine  
So men say that I'm intense or I'm insane**

“You read _Common Sense_?” Washington asked Angelica, his voice bright with approval.

“It was the pamphlet that inspired our nation to fight for independence,” Angelica replied in a casual tone, with only a mild blush giving away how happy she was, getting attention from Washington himself. “How could I not read it?”

**You want a revolution? I want a revelation  
So listen to my declaration:  
[Eliza/Angelica/Peggy:]  
"We hold these truths to be self-evident  
That all men are created equal"  
[Angelica:]  
And when I meet Thomas Jefferson**

**[Company:]  
Unh!  
[Angelica:]  
I'mma compel him to include women in the sequel!  
[Women:]  
Work!**

“It’s an interesting thought,” Jefferson said, his smooth voice masking a note of derision, “yet I believe that it is well known by everyone here that women are simply not equal to men. Even women as upstanding and intelligent as you three.”

Angelica fixed Jefferson with a dirty look. “Let’s take a look at the accomplishments of women even in recent times,” she said, her voice icy.

“Maintained households, farms and businesses while the men were off at war,” Peggy supplied.

“Boycotted British imports,” Eliza jumped in.

“Raised money to help fund the war,” Angelica continued.

“Gave up our homes to serve as Patriot bases,” Peggy listed.

“Served in supporting roles inside the Patriot army, including getting qualified as medical staff,” Eliza slowly got to her feet, her sisters joining her.

“Actually becoming part of Patriot army in a variety of roles, including spying, manning cannons, and fighting on the front line.” Angelica’s voice was rapidly getting sharper and louder. Jefferson seemed almost taken aback by the onslaught of objections he was facing.

“Perhaps in times of war, some allowances can be made,” he conceded, his tone still condescendingly gentle. “Although I believe we can all agree that it is unseemly for a woman to serve in the army. However, that does not mean that women should be seen as being equal to men.”

Angelica was clearly willing to continue the fight, before Robyn stepped in to interrupt proceedings. “As much as I’d like for this to be hashed out now, this is going to be a matter of ongoing debate and struggle. We can’t solve it here and now. However, Jefferson”—Jefferson’s eyes held more than a bit of fear at the young woman who seemed to make a hobby of confronting him in a way he wasn’t sure how to respond to— “It may interest you to know that most people historically don’t agree with your views. In fact, there’s going to be parts of America that won’t unite with the country without more equality for women. The time for this issue is not as far off as you think.”

**[Eliza:]  
Look around, look around at how  
Lucky we are to be alive right now!  
[Eliza/Peggy:]  
Look around, look around at how  
Lucky we are to be alive right now!  
[Eliza/Angelica/Peggy:]  
History is happening in Manhattan and we just happen to be  
In the greatest city in the world!  
[Schuyler Sisters and Company:]  
In the greatest city in the world!**

“Look at the dancer with the book,” Laurens exclaimed, watching the young actor twist and flip the novel as he moved across the stage.

The sisters couldn’t help but smile as the music began to swell, bringing with it an air of anticipation and excitement. In just a few bars, the music somehow captured what it was like to be standing in a major city in a time of change and growth.

**[Angelica (Eliza/Peggy) {men}:]  
'Cause I've been reading Common Sense by Thomas Paine (Look around, look around) {Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!}  
So men say that I'm intense or I'm insane (The revolution's happening in) {Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!}**

“So many different harmonies,” Eliza said in wonder, “all merging together.”

“Kind of like New York,” Peggy agreed. “Every comes there with their own story, their own song, and somehow the city makes them all fit.”

**  
[Angelica (Eliza/Peggy) {women}:]  
You want a revolution? I want a revelation (New York! In New York!) {Look around, look around the revolution's happening}  
So listen to my declaration:  
[Angelica/Eliza/Peggy (Women Ensemble):]  
We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal (Look around, look around)  
Whoo! (At how lucky we are to be alive right now)  
[Full Company:]  
Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now!**

“We really are lucky to be alive right now…or back then,” Angelica agreed with a smile.

**  
History is happening in Manhattan and we just happen to be  
[All women:]  
In the greatest city in the world  
[All men:]  
In the greatest city  
[Company:]  
In the greatest city in the world!**

**[Company:]  
Work, work!  
[Angelica:]  
Angelica!  
[Company:]  
Work, work!  
[Eliza:]  
Eliza!  
[Peggy:]  
And Peggy!  
[Company:]  
Work, work!  
[Angelica/Eliza/Peggy:]  
The Schuyler sisters!**

**[Company:]  
Work, work!  
[Angelica/Eliza/Peggy (Company):]  
We're looking for a mind at work! (Work, work!)  
Hey! (Work, work!)  
Hey! (Work, work!)  
[Eliza/Peggy {Angelica} (Company):]  
Hey! (Work, work!)  
{Whoa!} (Work, work!) (Work, work!)  
In the greatest city (Work, work!)  
{In the greatest} City in the world {City in the world}  
[Company:]  
In the greatest city in the world!**

Peggy couldn’t help but punch the air in joy and enthusiasm as the music crescendoed to its final chords. The Schuylers were almost vibrating with joy and enthusiasm at their triumphant introduction.

“Powerful music for powerful women,” Hamilton commented with a smile. The trio returned his grin as they relaxed once again, ready for where the musical would take them next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t actually want to trash Jefferson in this chapter, but Angelica insisted that he be the one to get the 'women are equal’ talking to by bringing him up. Yes, everything the Schuyler sisters brought up in their little rant is true. Women had a variety of roles in the Revolutionary War, including active combat. However, women in combat was illegal, and anyone who did that faced getting arrested and fined for their actions. 
> 
> The comment made by Robyn references Wyoming’s actions in the Women’s Suffrage movement. They refused to join America without women in Wyoming having the right to vote, and made the rights of women to vote and to hold office part of their state constitution. It was another fifty years until the rest of America did the same. 
> 
> Now that our cast of characters has been introduced, my commentary on the historical events (and thus, the chapters themselves) are going to increase significantly. You have been warned.


	8. Farmer Refuted

**[Seabury:]  
Hear ye, hear ye! My name is Samuel Seabury  
And I present "Free Thoughts on the Proceedings of the Continental Congress!"**

“Isn’t this the guy you got into a fight with through those pamphlets?” Laurens asked with a smirk, elbowing Hamilton in the side.

“Maybe,” Hamilton responded. “Which one are you thinking of?”

“My friend,” Lafayette sighed, though a slight smile lingered on his face. “The fact that you are forced to ask ‘which one’ is perhaps a sign of a larger issue. And I believe Seabury was the rector from Westchester, _n'est-ce pas_? The one who ended up in prison?”

Hamilton’s eyes blanked briefly as he searched back through the many, many fights he had fought through the written word, before clarity sprung. “A.W. Farmer! I remember him.” A wicked grin sprung to his face. “That was fun. But why does it look like Seabury is reading his pamphlet in town here? And why is he claiming ownership of it this early?”

Robyn chimed in. “Artistic licence. It’s more fun watching the two of you debate in person than watching you write about each other.”

**Heed not the rabble who scream revolution  
They have not your interests at heart  
[Mulligan:]  
Oh my God. Tear this dude apart**

“Stop encouraging him,” Angelica scolded. “Hamilton’s decision-making is bad enough without someone egging him on from the sidelines.”

“I take offense to that,” Hamilton grumbled.

**[Seabury:]  
Chaos and bloodshed are not a solution  
Don't let them lead you astray**

“These are some of Seabury’s arguments,” Hamilton said slowly, “but only the most broad strokes of them. He did more than just waffle about chaos and bloodshed; he spent most of his pamphlets discussing what he viewed as the failings of Congress and the economic downturn facing farmers if the import and export bans were to be enforced.”

“I never thought I’d hear you support an enemy of yours,” Jefferson said with some degree of surprise.

“Seabury was never an enemy,” Hamilton corrected, “merely someone I disagreed with over the course of a few pamphlets. And while I don’t agree with his political views, I still must defend him from a musical that seems to want to paint him as being naïve and condescending in equal parts.”

**  
This Congress does not speak for me  
[Burr:]  
Let him be**

“I have resigned myself to my role of trying to make Hamilton think his actions through, and equally to being ignored,” Burr sighed.

“Perhaps if you chose to speak up yourself, and express your own feelings on the matter…” Hamilton said with a pointed look.

**[Seabury:]  
They're playing a dangerous game  
I pray the king shows you his mercy  
For shame, for shame…**

“Now THAT sounds like Seabury,” Hercules stepped in. “He was rather concerned about what would happen if we lost the war, and more specifically how the Patriot soldiers and leaders would be treated.”

“Thankfully, that became a non-issue,” Washington agreed.

**[Hamilton (Seabury):]  
Yo!**

“Time for the opposing viewpoint,” Hamilton said with a smirk.

**  
He'd have you all unravel at the (Heed not the rabble)  
Sound of screams but the (Who scream)  
Revolution is comin' (Revolution, they)**

“Oui,” Lafayette agreed, “By this point, at least a minor war was inevitable. Too much bad blood had built up already.”

**  
The have-nots are gonna (Have not your)  
Win this (Interests)  
It's hard to listen to you with a straight face (At heart)**

“Petty taunts, Hamilton?” Madison asked delicately, his voice holding a note of disapproval.

“A well-placed insult is sometimes more effective than a well-reasoned argument,” Hamilton disagreed. “Though I agree that debates like these should be purely a matter of argument against argument, an insult will often get more recognition and respect.”

**  
Chaos and bloodshed already haunt us (Chaos and bloodshed are not a)  
Honestly, you shouldn't even talk (Solution)  
And what about Boston? Look at the cost, n' all that we've lost n' you talk (Don't let them lead you astray)  
About Congress?! (This Congress does not speak for me)**

“Well said,” Jefferson said, to the surprise of everyone. “After the Boston Massacre, resisting King George wasn’t a political matter anymore.”

“It was a moral one,” Hamilton agreed. “Forget Congress, forget the stamp tax; we needed to fight if only to avenge those who were gunned down by the soldiers.”

**  
My dog speaks more eloquently than thee!**

**(They're playing a dangerous game)  
But strangely, your mange is the same**

“Another one of your ‘well-placed insults’?” Peggy asked with a pointed look at Hamilton.

“I agree, that one was a bit childish,” Hamilton acknowledged. “Still, this version of Seabury hardly deserves my counterpart’s best attempts.”

**  
(I pray the king shows you his mercy)  
Is he in Jersey?**

The historical figures couldn’t help but laugh at the faux innocence and concern in the stage Hamilton’s voice.

“It wasn’t the mercy of King George that we really needed to worry about,” Hercules said with a sarcastic laugh.

“It was the mercy of the soldiers pointing guns at us,” Hamilton agreed.

**  
(For shame)  
For the revolution!  
(For shame!)  
[Company:]  
For the revolution!**

**[Seabury:]  
Heed  
[Hamilton:]  
If you repeat yourself again I'm gonna  
[Seabury/Hamilton:]  
Scream  
[Hamilton:]  
Honestly, look at me, please don't read!**

“Treating the boy a little rough there, Hamilton,” Jefferson chided.

“I would remind you that these events never actually happened,” Hamilton reminded him. “We just wrote a series of essays about our own beliefs. However, if you are going to go out in public and discuss your political beliefs with the crowd, you need to be ready and willing to defend yourself.”

**  
[Seabury:]  
Not your interests  
[Hamilton:]  
Don't modulate the key then not debate with me!**

Hamilton’s friends absolutely broke down with that line, their guffaws mingling with the hooting hilarity coming from their on-stage counterparts.

“You sound so offended,” Lafayette choked out between gasping breaths.

**  
Why should a tiny island across the sea regulate the price of tea?**

“And wasn’t that the biggest question of the war,” Washington mused.

**  
[Burr:]  
Alexander, please!  
[Hamilton:]  
Burr, I'd rather be divisive than indecisive, drop the niceties**

**[Ensemble:]  
Silence! A message from the King!  
A message from the King!  
[Full Company:]  
A message from the King!**

Groans of objections and annoyance rose from the small group as they prepared to face the modern interpretation of one of their greatest foes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N. N'est-ce pas is French for ‘am I right?'. Please feel free to correct me if this is the wrong translation to use, as ‘am I right’ has a lot of different translations in French depending on the context. 
> 
> I do feel the need to defend Seabury here in this chapter, as from what I’ve seen in my research he was a decent writer and a good person who just happened to disagree with Hamilton. Still love the Farmer Disputed song, but if anyone is more unfair in their portrayal than Peggy, it’s Seabury.


	9. You'll Be Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, to everyone who celebrated. Happy December, to anyone who doesn't.

As the actor portraying King George III slowly sauntered onto the stage, there was a variety of reactions.

“I want that cloak,” Peggy said, staring at the faux ermine and the rich red fabric. Hercules nodded silently in agreement, marvelling at the shape and fit of the clothing.

“He looks so young,” Eliza remarked quietly, gazing at the actor onstage.

“That’s Johnathan Groff,” Robyn supplied. “He was thirty years old when this was being filmed.”

“Of course King George has a white actor,” Jefferson grumbled. James Madison quickly hushed him, the sound of phrases like, “time to let it go” softly emerging from where the pair sat.

**[King George:]  
You say**

**The price of my love's not a price that you're willing to pay**

**You cry  
In your tea which you hurl in the sea when you see me go by**

“The Boston Tea Party,” Angelica reflected. “Civil disobedience at its finest.”

“And the easiest way to upset the British soldiers,” Laurens agreed with a wicked smile. “Take away their hot leaf juice, and you get some very sad Redcoats.”

**Why so sad?  
Remember we made an arrangement when you went away  
Now you're making me mad**

**Remember, despite our estrangement, I'm your man**

“This is a very odd song,” Washington stated. “It is almost as if King George is a spurned lover, vying for America’s adoration.”

“That’s exactly what it’s supposed to be,” Robyn affirmed. “Miranda wanted this song to be, and I quote, ‘a break-up letter from King George to the colonies’. And we ended up with this.”

**  
You'll be back, soon you'll see  
You'll remember you belong to me**

**You'll be back, time will tell  
You'll remember that I served you well**

“This is deeply unsettling,” Hercules said, shifting in his seat. “The possessiveness, the seductive tone…it’s both hilarious and disturbing.”

“Reminds me of a few of my former courters,” Peggy said in a loud whisper.

“Nothing worse than a boy that won’t accept ‘no’ for an answer,” Angelica agreed grimly.

**Oceans rise, empires fall  
We have seen each other through it all  
And when push comes to shove  
I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love!**

“HOW IS THAT LOVE?!” Hamilton almost shrieked in objection.

**Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da  
Da da dat dat da ya da!  
Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da  
Da da dat dat da…**

The small group burst out into laughter as King George strutted across the stage, his shoulders jerking from side to side.

“I hope I am never required to see King George in an official capacity,” Washington said, his chuckles adding a warm rumble to his speech. “I may never be able to take him seriously again after this.”

**You say our love is draining and you can't go on**

The group shivered softly at the note that King George hit, and the trills that followed.

“Foppish,” Hercules said, his warm gaze analysing the scene, “yet eerily beautiful.”

**  
You'll be the one complaining when I am gone...  
And NO! Don't change the subject**

“Eww…” Peggy complained, as she watched the spit fly from the actor’s mouth.

**  
'Cause you're my favourite subject  
My sweet, submissive subject  
My loyal, royal subject  
Forever and ever and ever and ever and ever…**

“The chilling fact is that I can imagine King George saying something to this effect,” Washington said grimly. “Many of his letters read in a similar manner. ’You will always be part of the British Empire, so surrender yourselves to my rule’. Even now, I’m not certain he views America as its own country that’s on par with Britain.”

**You'll be back like before  
I will fight the fight and win the war**

**For your love, for your praise  
And I'll love you till my dying days**

“How is this so threatening, and yet so hilarious?” Jefferson asked, visibly torn between being disturbed and being amused.

**  
When you're gone, I'll go mad  
So don't throw away this thing we had  
'Cause when push comes to shove  
I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love**

“As I said before: deeply unsettling,” Hercules said, uncomfortable with the mix of romantic subtext and threatening words.

**Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da  
Da da dat dat da ya da!  
Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da  
Da da dat—  
Everybody!**

**[Full Ensemble:]  
Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da  
Da da dat dat da ya da!  
Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da da da da  
Dat dat da ya da!**

“That was…unique,” Hamilton said as the song drew to a close. “Hilarious, yet threatening. Hard to take seriously, yet clearly not a joke.”

“It’s delicate blend,” Angelica agreed. “A little bit of everything, combined with a catchy beat.” A brief pause, then she continued, “So what comes next?”  
“King George has made his threats,” Lafayette said, his voice soft but his eyes grim. “Now he will follow through.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N. I love this song. One of my favourites from the Hamilton soundtrack, just for how it takes such a serious moment and makes it so much fun. 
> 
> A fop is an old term for a man who is ‘foolishly attentive to and vain of his appearance, dress, or manners’ according to the 1672 version of the Oxford English dictionary. Foppish characters are usually soft-spoken, effeminate and dandified. Think Governor Raycliffe from Pocahontas or Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (though his style is more often referred to as ‘grunge fop’ rather than standard fop.)
> 
> There is a very brief Avatar: The Last Airbender reference in here for anyone who can spot it. Because I love that show, and I love the character who coined that particular phrase.


	10. Right Hand Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES A REALISTIC DISCUSSION OF POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND ITS SYMPTOMS! It should be easy to spot where to skip ahead, but for anyone wanting to miss the topic, it extends from the ‘BOOM goes the cannons’ section to ‘Guns and horses giddy-up’.

The mournful wail of the violins set the tone for the next song early, sending chills up and down spines with only half a dozen notes. In particular, those who had fought in the war quickly grew grim and silent. They knew Lafayette was right: now was when events truly began.

**[Company:]  
British Admiral Howe's got troops on the water  
Thirty-two thousand troops in New York harbor**

**[Ensemble 1 (Ensemble 2):]  
Thirty-two thousand troops in New York harbor  
(Thirty-two thousand troops in New York harbor)  
When they surround our troops!  
(They surround our troops!)  
When they surround our troops!**

“It was the most frightening thing I’ve ever seen,” Angelica confessed softly. “Seeing hundreds upon hundreds of sails on the horizon, knowing that every ship was filled with some of the most highly trained soldiers in the world.”

“More than a few men’s nerves broke that day,” Washington confirmed. “And while it was frustrating as their commander to see the troops run at the first sight of their foe…I honestly couldn’t blame them.”

**[Hamilton:]  
As a kid in the Caribbean I wished for a war**

**I knew that I was poor  
I knew it was the only way to  
[Hamilton/Burr/Mulligan/Laurens/Lafayette:]  
Rise up!**

Hamilton didn’t even bother responding to the looks being thrown his way. He knew that none of them really understood. All of them, even his beloved Eliza, thought of social advancement as a matter of making the right connections, gathering wealth and prestige, and becoming more widely recognised. None of them really thought of social advancement the difference between struggling for survival and a guaranteed livelihood.

**  
[Hamilton:]  
If they tell my story  
I am either gonna die on the battlefield in glory or**

**[Hamilton/Burr/Mulligan/Laurens/Lafayette:]  
Rise up!**

“Again, sounding too eager here, Hamilton,” Jefferson snarked.

“I was going into a war against one of the best armies in the world,” Hamilton retorted. “I knew what the likely outcome was. I was either going to die, or I was going to come back with military honours. Nothing in between.”

**  
[Hamilton:]  
I will fight for this land  
But there's only one man  
Who can give us a command so we can—  
[Hamilton/Burr/Mulligan/Laurens/Lafayette:]  
Rise up!**

**  
[Hamilton:]  
Understand? It's the only way to  
[Hamilton/Burr/Mulligan/Laurens/Lafayette:]  
Rise up! Rise up!  
[Hamilton:]  
Here he comes!**

Washington sighed. He knew what was coming.

**[Ensemble:]  
Here comes the General!  
[Burr:]  
Ladies and gentlemen!**

The room perked up at the tonal shift. Lafayette was the first to start grinning, looking towards an increasingly uncomfortable and embarrassed Washington.

**  
[Ensemble:]  
Here comes the General!  
[Burr:]  
The moment you've been waiting for!**

By now, Hamilton and his friends were smirking, actively turning around in their chairs and ignoring the screen in favour of watching the General.

**  
[Ensemble:]  
Here comes the General!  
[Burr:]  
The pride of Mount Vernon!  
[Ensemble:]  
Here comes the General!  
[Burr:]  
George Washington!**

“Was any of that remotely necessary?” Washington asked, a faint flush of embarrassment across his normally stoic face.

“If anything, you deserve more,” Laurens insisted, his face mockingly serious.

“Perhaps we should make it a more regular occurrence, to sing your praises in this fashion,” Hamilton mused as he fought back a smile. “I’m sure Congress would oblige.”

“Do it, and I’ll arrest all of you for treason,” Washington replied, his tone dry.

**[Washington (Ensemble):]  
We are outgunned (What?)  
Outmanned (What?)  
Outnumbered  
Outplanned (Buck, buck, buck, buck, buck!)**

“Encouraging,” Lafayette commented, the fun from a few moments ago quickly being forgotten.

“But honest,” Washington agreed. “While this musical is somewhat…unusual in the way events and people are portrayed, it is certainly honest about the situation we were in.”

**  
We gotta make an all-out stand  
Ayo, I'm gonna need a right-hand man (Buck, buck, buck, buck, buck!)**

**[Washington:]  
Check it  
Can I be real a second?  
For just a millisecond?  
Let down my guard and tell the people how I feel a second?**

Hamilton, Burr, Lafayette, Laurens and Hercules looked towards Washington in askance. They were so used to their General being the shining beacon, the stalwart figure leading every charge, flagging them on when all they wanted was to rest. And yet they all knew that he kept his own feelings—his fears, his doubts, his uncertainty—hidden from the rest of the men.

**Now I'm the model of a modern major general  
The venerated Virginian veteran whose men are all  
Lining up, to put me up on a pedestal**

“Puts the introductory fanfare into context, doesn’t it?” Madison mused.

**  
Writin' letters to relatives  
Embellishin' my elegance and eloquence  
But the elephant is in the room  
The truth is in ya face when ya hear the British cannons go…  
[Ensemble:]  
Boom!**

“It is one thing to cut a fine figure in a uniform,” Washington explained, “to look impressive as you ride upon a horse and to say some fancy words to stir up patriotic pride. But the truest test of a military leader is when his men are faced with the battle…especially one where they are at a disadvantage.”

**  
[Washington:]  
Any hope of success is fleeting**

**How can I keep leading when the people I'm  
Leading keep retreating?**

“So many boys fled in those early battles,” Lafayette reflected. “They were so afraid, so…unprepared.”

**  
We put a stop to the bleeding as the British take Brooklyn  
Knight takes rook, but look**

**[Washington (Ensemble):]  
We are outgunned (What?)  
Outmanned (What?)  
Outnumbered  
Outplanned (Buck, buck, buck, buck, buck!)**

**  
We gotta make an all out stand  
Ayo, I'm gonna need a right-hand man (Buck, buck, buck, buck, buck!)  
Incoming!**

The echoing scream and the reverberations of cannon fire echoed through the small theatre. While those who hadn’t seen combat winced or shook in momentary fear at the memories, those who had seen combat reacted differently. Bodies tensed, hands went for guns or bayonets that were no longer there, and eyes quickly scanned the room in search of British soldiers. As the soldiers reminded themselves of what was actually happening, they sat back with shaky grins towards each other and nods of acknowledgement, yet were clearly still on edge.

**[Hamilton:]  
They're battering down the Battery! Check the damages!  
[Mulligan:]  
Rah!  
[Hamilton:]  
We gotta stop 'em and rob 'em of their advantages  
[Mulligan:]  
Rah!**

“I should learn to make that sound,” Hercules mused. Yet something in his normally warm tones was off.

“Are you alright, _mon ami_?” Lafayette asked, his voice rich with concern.

“Fine,” Hercules responded curtly.

“Are you sure? You seem…I do not have a word to describe it,” Lafayette pressed.

“Because there’s nothing there,” Hercules snapped harshly. “Leave it alone.”

The exuberant Frenchman sat back, slightly stunned at the harsh words coming from his friend. And while Hercules noticed Lafayette’s hurt, he responded with nothing more than a facial tick.

**  
[Hamilton:]  
Let's take a stand with the stamina God has granted us  
Hamilton won't abandon ship  
Yo, let's steal their cannons**

“Do you even think about the consequences when you leap into these mad stunts?” Angelica cried out.

“We needed those cannons, but more importantly, we needed the British to _not_ have those cannons,” Hamilton defended. “I simply took the most expedient option.”

Chuckles broke out across the room. Even Hercules smiled a little, sending Lafayette a brief look of regret.

**[Mulligan (Company):]  
Shh-boom! (Boom!)  
[Washington:]  
Goes the cannon, watch the blood and the shit spray and…**

The laughter died in an instant as the cannons echoed once again. Hercules tensed up in response, and as Laurens reached to comfort him, Hercules slapped his hand away sharply.

**  
[Company:]  
Boom!  
[Washington:]  
Goes the cannon, we're abandonin' Kips Bay and…**

Hamilton slid slowly out of his seat and retreated to the nearest corner. Those closest to him could hear him whispering to himself, counting to himself in French.

**  
[Company:]  
Boom!  
[Washington:]  
There's another ship and…**

Washington himself leapt to his feet as the next shot echoed, his hand once more going for a weapon that was no longer there. Regardless of his unarmed status, Washington began to stalk through the theatre, searching every folded drape and plush seat for Redcoats.

**  
[Company:]  
Boom!  
[Washington:]  
We just lost the southern tip and…**

Burr left his own seat, his face void of emotion. Instead, he stalked to the back of the room, choosing the seat in the farthest corner, as far as he could get from anyone else.

**  
[Company:]  
Boom!  
[Washington:]  
We gotta run to Harlem quick, we can't afford another slip**

Lafayette was out of his own seat by this point, stalking silently across the front of the theatre. Unlike Washington, who seemed to be on a mission to locate the threat he felt had to be there, or Burr, who seemed to have a destination of getting as far away from everyone as possible, Lafayette almost seemed to not fully understand where he was. He was muttering to himself in agitated French, once again reaching for a weapon that wasn’t there, his eyes wild and unfocused. The rest of the room watched in increasing alarm and fear as half of their number seemingly lost their minds in only a few seconds, while Robyn scrambled with the remote to stop the musical.

Finally, Robyn located the right button to pause the musical, which blessedly went silent. Eliza immediately got up to go and sit beside Hamilton.

“It’s alright, Alex,” she soothed, “there are no storms, no gunfire. You are safe. I promise.” Alex looked at her with naked fear on his face, but allowed her to lead him back to his seat. As the silence continued, Hercules’s anger slowly melted away, and he whispered regretful apologies to a very concerned John Laurens. Once Washington was convinced that the room was completely safe, he went to the back corner to retrieve Burr, who despite his reluctance was not going to refuse an order from his commander to return to the fold. Yet as they sat back down, Washington was clearly not completely satisfied, his head constantly on the swivel as he searched for threats. With the majority of the group regathered, Robyn focused instead on Lafayette, who was still prowling in front of the screen, his eyes wide and fearful.

“Lafayette,” she asked, her voice soft and calm, “where do you think you are right now?”

He looked over to her in clear confusion. “The Brandywine,” he insisted, his voice absolutely certain. “You must be careful, madame. The British soldiers…they are everywhere. One of them shot me but a moment ago!”

“But…but we’re nowhere near the Brandywine!” Madison exclaimed harshly. Lafayette flinched, his head swinging back and forth as he searched for a foe long since gone. Robyn shot a glare at Madison, chiding him to silence, then returned her attention back to Lafayette.

“Listen to me,” she said, her voice still soft and calm. “You are having a flashback…a sort of really intense memory. You are not fighting in the Battle of the Brandywine.” As Lafayette looked towards her in dazed confusion, she asked him, “Can you name five things you can see right now?”

The Frenchman seemed confused, but obliged her. “Hamilton. Laurens. Burr. Washington. Mulligan.”

Robyn nodded and pressed on. “Four things you can hear.”

Now, Lafayette seemed a bit more uncertain of where he was. “Your voice. A buzzing noise from the screen. Hamilton…he is sobbing. And one of the chairs, it has a squeak. Why are there chairs here?”

“It’s alright,” Robyn soothed. “Name three things you can feel.”

“The carpet,” Lafayette obliged, gradually growing more present. “The wall behind me. And the fabric bolts.”

“Good,” Robyn encouraged. “Now, two things you can smell?”

“Fresh bread,” Lafayette obliged. “And cured meats.”

“And one thing you can taste?” Robyn finished.

“A sweet taste in my mouth from the honey I had in my tea this morning,” Lafayette responded, his voice present and clear.

“Well done,” Robyn encouraged. “Now, can you tell me what year it is?”

Lafayette focused for a moment, then responded. “This morning it was 1790, but I believe you said that we had travelled to 2020, non?”

“Correct,” Robyn said with a sigh. “Would you like to join your friends?” As the slightly shaky Frenchman returned to the small group of revolutionary soldiers, and as Eliza gently separated from Hamilton with a soft kiss to his forehead, Robyn took a deep breath and began to explain.

“What some of you have just experienced, and the rest of you have just witnessed, is a disorder called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,” she said softly. “It is basically a person’s brain responding to a previous traumatic event in a variety of ways. Some people get more angry or aggressive. Some people become more solitary and want to avoid others. Some people get extremely anxious about being in similar situations to the traumatic event. Some people get hyper-vigilant, and are frequently on the lookout for threats. Some people might even have flashbacks, and relive the same events. Have any of you experienced this before?”

Blank looks abounded from the small group, with the exception of Hamilton and Washington.

“I have always been more…attentive to threats, after losing my men in the Seven Years War,” Washington admitted softly. Robyn saw Peggy open her mouth to ask, but Angelica firmly hushed her to remain silent.

“I have often found myself in situations where I know that I am safe,” Washington continued, “and yet I still find myself searching for threats. Sometimes I do not even know what the threat is that I am looking for, only that it is there. It is almost easier when I know what the threat is, in fact. Shouting voices and waving pistols are problems I can confront. But this baseless fear…it is much harder to resolve.”

Hamilton waited for a moment to be sure that Washington was done speaking, then stepped in. “I don’t look for threats,” he said uncomfortably. “But there are some…situations…where I find myself ill-at-ease.”

“Like what?” Burr asked, his voice slowly regaining a semblance of normality. Hamilton was clearly struggling to talk, so Eliza graciously stepped in.

“Storms,” she said simply, and everyone sighed in understanding as they thought back to the first song. “Alexander cannot abide anything heavier than a spring shower. And he becomes anxious when the doctor must be called for, either for injury or for illness.”

“I worry about the outcome,” Hamilton muttered his explanation gruffly.

“All of these are good examples,” Robyn supplied. “PTSD affects quite a few people who see traumatic events, especially combat. The best advice I can offer is for you to find your own strategies to manage your symptoms. Find a way to ground yourself to reality, like Hamilton’s counting or the senses task I did with Lafayette.” She paused for a moment or two longer, waited for everyone to gradually settle, then asked, “Are you ready to continue? I promise that there’s no more cannons until the end of the song.” As everyone nodded in agreement, Robyn restarted the musical.

**  
Guns and horses giddyup  
I decide to divvy up  
My forces, they're skittish as the British cut the city up  
This close to giving up, facing mad scrutiny  
I scream in the face of this mass mutiny:  
Are these the men with which I am to defend America?**

“That is not fair,” Lafayette gently chided Washington. “Those men were facing impossible odds against a seemingly unbeatable enemy. And those that remained gave you everything they had.”

“I know,” Washington agreed. “But it didn’t make it easier in those first few months when our numbers got smaller and smaller with every skirmish.”

**We ride at midnight, Manhattan in the distance  
I cannot be everywhere at once, people  
I'm in dire need of assistance…**

“You sound so worn out,” Hercules remarked in surprise.

“I was,” Washington agreed. “I was taking on the jobs of several men: leading the armies, training troops, strategizing for upcoming battles, writing to Congress for supplies…If I hadn’t started delegating when I did, I would have died from stress before the British even came close to shooting me.”

**[Burr:]  
Your excellency, sir!  
[Washington:]  
Who are you?  
[Burr:]  
Aaron Burr, Sir.  
Permission to state my case?**

Burr shifted uncomfortably. He knew what was about to happen, that his bid for a position of leadership was about to be trumped by Hamilton’s untimely appearance. And he wasn’t entirely comfortable with it becoming a point of talk and speculation yet again.

**  
[Washington:]  
As you were  
[Burr:]  
Sir  
I was a captain under General Montgomery  
Until he caught a bullet in the neck in Quebec  
And well, in summary  
I think that I could be of some assistance  
I admire how you keep firing on the British  
From a distance  
[Washington:]  
Huh**

“If I may offer a suggestion for your future endeavours, Mr Burr,” Washington said dryly, “Never compliment a general who is losing on his tactics. I did not want people flattering me at that moment. I wanted someone to come in and say ‘here is what you are doing wrong, and how I intend to fix it.’”

Burr nodded in response, accepting the criticism of his strategy with grace and good humour.

**  
[Burr:]  
I have some questions, a couple of suggestions on how to fight instead of fleeing west  
[Washington:]  
Yes?  
[Burr:]  
Well—  
[Hamilton:]  
Your excellency, you wanted to see me?**

“Fantastic timing,” Burr couldn’t help remarking dryly.

“My apologies,” Hamilton replied, rubbing his neck sheepishly. “I received orders to report directly to Washington when I arrived at camp and I followed them. I didn’t know that you were making your bid for a position at the same time.”

**[Washington:]  
Hamilton, come in, have you met Burr?  
[Hamilton:]  
Yes, sir  
[Hamilton and Burr:]  
We keep meeting**

“One of you seems a _lot_ less happy about that fact than the other,” Peggy gently teased.

**  
[Burr:]  
As I was saying, sir, I look forward to seeing your strategy play out  
[Washington:]  
Burr?  
[Burr:]  
Sir?  
[Washington:]  
Close the door on your way out**

Again Washington spoke. “I admit in this moment, I am the one in the wrong. And I did you a disservice, Mr Burr.” Burr’s face showed naked astonishment at Washington’s expression of regret.

“I am sorry for how I treated you in this moment,” Washington said softly. “I could have—should have—asked Hamilton to wait. Or asked you to return and present your thoughts. Dismissing you for Hamilton, even if it was Hamilton I wanted to see at that moment was unfairly abrupt. I hope you can forgive me for my blunders, and for not having addressed the matter sooner.”

“Of course, sir,” Burr hastened to reassure him. “I barely gave it a second thought.”

Washington accepted the placating lie without calling Burr out on it, and the two shook hands in peace.

**[Hamilton:]  
Have I done something wrong, sir?  
[Washington:]  
On the contrary  
I called you here because our odds are beyond scary**

“You were honest with me, right from the start,” Hamilton reflected, “both in words and in actions.”

“I was hoping from the moment I heard of you that you would serve as my aide-de-camp,” Washington explained. “If you were to take on a position like that, I had to trust that you could listen to the truth of our odds and our tactics and not spread fear or despair amongst the men, nor give in to despair yourself.”

**  
Your reputation precedes you, but I have to laugh  
[Hamilton:]  
Sir?  
[Washington:]  
Hamilton, how come no one can get you on their staff?  
[Hamilton:]  
Sir!**

“You sound so put out,” Peggy pointed out.

“I had assumed he was inviting me in for a military promotion,” Hamilton explained. “I wasn’t expecting a position on Washington’s staff.”

“But a position on his staff was far more advantageous than an ordinary command,” Jefferson remarked in surprise.

“True,” Hamilton conceded, “but it still wasn’t what I wanted.”

**  
[Washington:]  
Don't get me wrong, you're a young man of great renown  
I know you stole British cannons when we were still downtown  
Nathaniel Greene and Henry Knox wanted to hire you…  
[Hamilton:]  
To be their Secretary? I don't think so.  
[Washington:]  
Now why are you upset?  
[Hamilton:]  
I'm not**

“Your mouth says ‘no’,” Lafayette teased, “but your tone and expression screams your discomfort and dissatisfaction.”

**[Washington:]  
It's alright you want to fight. You've got a hunger.  
I was just like you when I was younger  
Head full of fantasies of dyin' like a martyr?  
[Hamilton:]  
Yes**

**[Washington:]  
Dying is easy, young man  
Living is harder**

The grim words struck through the small group of watchers, sending chills up multiple spines.

**[Hamilton:]  
Why are you telling me this?  
[Washington:]  
I'm being honest  
I'm working with a third of what our Congress has promised  
We are a powder keg about to explode  
I need someone like you to lighten the load. So?**

“So the position as Washington’s aide was just handed to you?” Jefferson asked, his tone mildly accusing.

“I sought him out,” Washington interjected, his dry tone holding just the slightest warning. “I needed the very best to help me manage the army and coordinate with Congress. That meant hiring Hamilton.”

Jefferson conceded gracefully, while Hamilton looked at Washington with just the smallest hint of gratitude for Washington’s smooth handling of the conflict.

**[Company except Hamilton:]  
I am not throwin' away my shot!  
I am not throwin' away my shot!  
Ayo, I'm just like my country  
I'm young scrappy and hungry!  
[Hamilton:]  
I am not throwing away my shot!**

“It was hard,” Hamilton reflected. “If I turned down Washington’s offer, I would have a greater chance at getting my own company of men to lead into battle. But serving as an aide-de-camp meant a better chance at social advancement after the war…and even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a secretary instead of a soldier, I knew that someone had to fill the role.”

**[Washington:]  
Son  
[Washington and Company:]  
We are outgunned, outmanned!  
[Hamilton:]  
You need all the help you can get  
I have some friends. Laurens, Mulligan  
Marquis de Lafayette, okay, what else?**

“You recommended me to Washington himself?” Hercules asked, his voice warm with gratitude.

“You were already in the perfect position for the job we needed from you,” Hamilton pointed out. “No one would even think to look twice at a seemingly neutral tailor. I know you decided after the war to remain as a tailor, but I wanted to make sure that if you decided you wanted to advance in society, that you would have that opportunity.”

“Sorry, but I don’t fully understand,” Peggy admitted. “What exactly did Alex recommend you for?”

Hercules grinned. “You’ll see,” he responded, his voice bright with mischief.

**[Washington and Company:]  
Outnumbered, outplanned!  
[Hamilton:]  
We'll need some spies on the inside  
Some King's men who might let some things slide**

**[Hamilton (Company) {Eliza/Angelica/Peggy/Women}:]  
(Boom!) I'll write to Congress and tell 'em we need supplies, you rally the guys {Whoa, whoa, whoa...}  
Master the element of surprise  
(Boom!) I'll rise above my station, organize your information, 'til we rise to the occasion of our new nation. Sir! {Whoa, whoa, whoa...}**

“The second you agreed to assist me, you began to prove that I had made the right choice,” Washington reflected, his voice warm with respect, gratitude and pride. Hamilton clearly wasn’t sure how to respond to such naked affection, choosing to offer Washington an awkward nod of acknowledgement and gratitude before returning his attention back to the screen.

**[Ensemble:]  
Here comes the General!  
[Hamilton:]  
Rise up!  
[Laurens/Lafayette/Mulligan:]  
What?**

**  
[Ensemble:]  
Here comes the General!  
[Hamilton/Schuyler Sisters/Women:]  
Rise up!  
[Laurens/Lafayette/Mulligan:]  
What?**

**  
[Ensemble:]  
Here comes the General!  
[Hamilton/Schuyler Sisters:]  
Rise up!  
[Laurens/Lafayette/Mulligan:]  
What?**

As the music began to swell, the soldiers of the group noticed Robyn frantically mimicking covering her ears. Remembering her earlier warning about cannonfire at the end of the song, the group braced themselves for the far too realistic sounds coming from the screen.

**  
[Company:]  
Here comes the General!  
[Hamilton:]  
What?  
[Washington:]  
And his right hand man!  
[Company:]  
Boom!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, everyone? It is possible to have mature and adult discussions where you address past wrongs maturely, explain why you reacted in the way you did, and show how you intend to improve in the future. Not everything needs to end with ‘let’s try and shoot each other’!
> 
> Hamilton did not recommend John Laurens or Lafayette to Washington. Even if Hamilton met the pair prior to his military service (which I’m not sure he did), Laurens was a rich plantation owner and therefore inherited a position of power in the Patriot army, and Lafayette was a fucking Marquis. French nobility do not need random immigrants to introduce them to the leaders of the army. However, Hamilton did recommend Hercules Mulligan as a spy when Washington was having issues getting accurate information from within New York, citing his Patriot beliefs and his unassuming social position. Hercules ended up being a massive success in his position, even saving Washington’s life a few times by passing on information. 
> 
> Washington was a rather interesting general. He wasn’t the best in terms of battlefield tactics, which you’d think would be a major problem, and he wasn’t particularly educated. But what he was very good at was recognising talent, including from those who didn’t necessarily see it in themselves, and finding ways to put that talent to good use. In particular, he found generals who would be able to lead the man in tactical ways that he couldn’t, and who would argue with him behind closed doors but obey him when it came down to the fight. 
> 
> On a more serious note: there are a lot of different ways that PTSD can present itself. The popular one displayed in the media is vivid flashbacks, like Lafayette is having. There’s also increased anxiety over similar situations, as shown by Hamilton and his fear of storms and gunfire; the hypervigilance of George Washington unable to settle and searching for enemies; and the emotional swings of Hercules Mulligan and Aaron Burr. Some people may display only some of these symptoms, while others may display them all. If you have been through, witnessed or have otherwise been exposed to a traumatic event, and if you find yourself struggling to move on, consider talking to a psychologist or psychiatrist and getting help.
> 
> As for why I chose the particular symptoms for each of the characters: Lafayette was shot in battle, so I imagined his reaction would be the worst in terms of flashbacks. Hamilton likely would have already had PTSD, so I wanted to use him to demonstrate how it can affect everyday life. Washington was obviously the leader and protector of the group, so I could imagine his protective instincts being ratchetted up into hypervigilance. Burr and Hercules Mulligan are a bit more solitary, so I can imagine them struggling to rely on other people when their mental health became an issue. On a side note, Hercules Mulligan was never officially part of the army, but he fought in a variety of local militias against the British, including helping Hamilton steal the cannons, so I would argue that those events, along with the stress of serving as a spy, would be enough to potentially give him PTSD. Arguably, John Laurens should have had the worst PTSD of them all, but I didn’t want to force a dead man to struggle with flashbacks of his own death. Seems a bit too unfair. And obviously, no one else in the room served on the front lines (Madison was part of the Congress, Jefferson was off in France, and the Schuylers were managing the home front) so while they might have PTSD from being conjecturally related to the war, it probably wouldn’t have been as severe. Sadly, people don’t just spring back from having issues with their mental health and are able to continue as normal just a minute or two later. But I needed everyone to be mentally capable and able to participate in the rest of the musical. Please forgive me for this creative liberty. 
> 
> I am not a psychologist, nor do I have personal experience with PTSD. While my story here is based on extensive research, it may not be perfectly realistic. Please accept that it’s coming from a genuine desire to portray this particular disorder properly, and I honestly regret any mistakes I may have made with my portrayals.


	11. A Winter's Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick shoutout before we get started: I want to thank everyone who has commented so far. Even if I don’t respond to all of them, I read all of your comments, and I’m always excited to see a new comment or two pop up in my inbox. I want to particularly thank PrincessReinette. Ten story-based chapters so far, and she/he/they (or whichever pronouns PrincessReinette chooses to use) have commented on all of them. I also want to thank MaimuRose, Ham4ham, Kasuna_Kotonoha, Roseismynameplsjustletmehaveanaccount and anyone else who has taken the time to Kudos this story or write a quick message.

**[Burr:]  
How does the bastard, orphan, son of a whore**

**Go on and on  
Grow into more of a phenomenon?**

“I…I think I’m starting to understand,” Hamilton reflected uncertainly. “At first, I thought that the ‘bastard orphan’ were just more insults. The future itself defining me by my inauspicious upbringing, just like so many do now. But it’s more than that, isn’t it? Burr here isn’t just insulting me for insult’s sake; he is legitimately asking how someone from my background rose to be where I am.”

**  
Watch this obnoxious, arrogant, loudmouth bother**

**Be seated at the right hand of The Father.**

“The Father?” Washington asked uncertainly. “I assume that the title has nothing to do with the religious connotations I associate it with? Our Father in Heaven?”

“Absolutely not,” Robyn assured him. “A select group of people from your time—usually important figures in the Revolutionary War or in the Constitutional Convention—became known as the Founding Fathers for their actions in helping to build America into a functional country. Furthermore, some people like to call you The Father of The Country.”

“Who else is part of this group of Founding Fathers?” Lafayette asked in curiosity.

“Washington, naturally,” Robyn said. “Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, John Marshall and George Mason. Some historians add other names to the list, but those ten names are always prominent on the list.”

**  
Washington hires Hamilton right on sight**

“Right on sight,” Jefferson grumbled softly. Though Burr was visibly remaining neutral, it was clear that Jefferson was echoing his thoughts.

**But Hamilton still wants to fight, not write  
Now Hamilton's skill with a quill is undeniable  
But what do we have in common?  
We're reliable with the**

**[All men:]  
Ladies!**

Snorts of laughter broke out across the room as the tone of the song completely changed.  
“Reliable with the ladies, Burr?” Peggy asked, her tone teasing. “Mr ‘Your Perfume Smells Like Your Daddy’s Got Money’?”

Burr uncharacteristically smirked back. “Perhaps I was somewhat awkward in my youth,” he acknowledged, “but believe me, my skills rapidly developed.”

**  
[Burr:]  
There are so many to deflower!**

**[All men:]  
Ladies!  
[Burr:]  
Looks! Proximity to power**

“A woman’s proximity to power shouldn’t matter,” Eliza objected.

Angelica shook her head, smiling sadly at her sister’s idealism. “It shouldn’t matter,” she agreed, “but it does. Social advancement and finding a suitable match is a concern that plays on most people’s minds when searching for a paramour.”

**  
[All men:]  
Ladies!  
[Burr:]  
They delighted and distracted him  
Martha Washington named her feral tomcat after him!  
[Hamilton:]  
That's true!**

Laughter broke out across the room, with the loudest chuckles coming from both Washington and Hamilton himself.

**[Full Company:]  
1780  
[Burr:]  
A winter's ball  
And the Schuyler sisters are the envy of all  
Yo, if you can marry a sister, you're rich, son  
[Hamilton:]  
Is it a question of if, Burr, or which one?**

“Alexander!” Eliza scolded, a hint of the earlier laughter still in her voice.

“Simply the bragging and boasting of young men,” Hamilton assured her, his own voice warm with mirth and love. “You know that you are the only Schuyler and the only woman for me.”

As the rest of the room cooed at the sweet couple, only two faces grew grim, though for very different reasons.

**[Hamilton/Burr/Laurens:]  
Hey  
Hey  
Hey hey**

As the stage rotated and the overly charming advances of the revolutionary soldiers spun away, the crowd of watchers listened intently, smiling as the music began to lighten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N. The whole ‘Martha Washington’s cat’ story is a bit of a historical question mark. It might have been real, it might have been a rumour perpetrated by John Adams to undermine Hamilton’s reputation (Adams was a political mudslinger, and had no issues making up stories to discredit his opponents). But it’s a great story, so I’m not going to bring it into question here. 
> 
> Also, a moment of silence for poor Robyn; seeing Hamilton and Eliza so in love and proclaiming their faithfulness, and knowing what’s coming in Act Two.


	12. Helpless

**[Eliza (all women):]  
Oh, I do I do I do I (Hey hey hey hey)  
Dooo! Hey! (Hey hey hey hey)  
Oh, I do I do I do I (Hey hey hey hey)  
Dooo! **

“I believe I know what’s happening in this song,” Eliza said coyly, a soft smile gracing her face. Hamilton didn’t say anything, simply rising from his chair amongst his catcalling friends and walking slowly across the room. As he drew close to Eliza, Hamilton offered her his hand with a bow and a flourish. Eliza responded in kind with a deep curtsy as she took his hand and the pair began to dance as if they were the only ones left in the room.

**Boy you got me (Hey hey hey)**

**[Eliza and women:]  
Helpless!**

**Look into your eyes, and the sky's the limit  
I'm helpless!  
Down for the count, and I'm drownin' in 'em**

Angelica smiled a soft, sad smile as she watched Eliza and her beloved Alexander dance to this strange new music. Although she had given up on her dreams of being Alexander’s long ago, there were still moments where her heart twinged at the idea of what could have been.

**[Eliza:]  
I have never been the type to try and grab the spotlight  
We were at a revel with some rebels on a hot night  
Laughin' at my sister as she's dazzling the room  
Then you walked in and my heart went "Boom!"**

“Really?” Hamilton asked, his voice light and mischievous as he gracefully twirled his wife.

Eliza let out a startled laugh of her own, before answering, “Of course. I saw you enter with your friends, all dressed in your finest uniforms, and I fell for you in an instant.”

**  
Tryin' to catch your eye from the side of the ballroom**

**Everybody's dancin' and the band's top volume**

**[Eliza and women:]  
Grind to the rhythm as we wine and dine**

**[Eliza (all women):]  
Grab my sister and whisper, "Yo, this one's mine" (Ooh)**

Angelica nodded as a variety of eyes looked down the row to her in askance. “Absolutely true,” she confirmed. “Once she saw Alexander, no one else would do, and she wasn’t about to let anyone else get in before her.”

**My sister made her way across the room to you (Ooh)  
And I got nervous, thinking, "What's she gonna do?" (Ooh)  
She grabs you by the arm, I'm thinkin' "I'm through" (Ooh)  
Then you look back at me, and suddenly I'm...**

**Helpless!**

Eliza began to hum along to the song, sure of the tune if not the lyrics yet, resting her head against Hamilton’s shoulder. In response, he held her all the closer.

**  
Oh, look at those eyes (Look into your eyes, and the sky's the limit)  
Oh! Yeah, I'm helpless, I know  
(Down for the count and I'm drownin' in 'em)  
(I'm helpless!)  
I'm so into you, I am so into you  
(Look into your eyes, and the sky's the limit)  
(I'm helpless!)  
I know I'm down for the count and I'm drownin' in 'em**

“You have always had the loveliest eyes I have ever seen,” Eliza said softly, gently stroking Hamilton’s face with a casual gesture. Hamilton couldn’t even find the words to respond, letting his loving gaze do the talking for him.

**[Hamilton:]  
Where are you taking me?**

**[Angelica:]  
I'm about to change your life**

**[Hamilton:]  
Then by all means, lead the way**

**[Eliza:]  
Elizabeth Schuyler  
It's a pleasure to meet you**

**[Hamilton:]  
Schuyler?**

**[Angelica:]  
My sister**

[ **Eliza:]  
Thank you for all your service**

**[Hamilton:]  
If it takes fighting a war for us to meet, it will have been worth it**

“SMOOTH, ALEX!” Hercules bellowed from his seat. Though Hamilton was still dancing with Eliza, he slowed down their steps just enough so that Hercules could get a clear view of his middle finger as Hamilton flipped Hercules off from behind Eliza’s back. Eliza gently slapped Hamilton’s shoulder in a mild reprimand at the childish behaviour, but couldn’t help but laugh at his antics.

**[Angelica:]  
I'll leave you to it**

Angelica carefully watched her own actress with judgemental eyes, looking for the slightest sign that her secret—her shameful secret—might be revealed. Robyn saw the look of fear on Angelica’s face, and sighed, knowing that the following song would be a nightmare for the vivacious woman.

**[Eliza and women:]  
One week later**

**[Eliza:]  
I'm writin' a letter nightly  
Now my life gets better, every letter that you write me  
Laughin' at my sister, 'cause she wants to form a harem**

**[Angelica:]  
I'm just sayin', if you really loved me, you would share him**

**[Eliza (all women):]  
Ha!**

Angelica forced herself to laugh with the rest of the group. Her heart leapt as she scanned the room for anyone not able to accept the comment as a joke, and even as the musical continued, she couldn’t settle for fear of her love for Alexander being made public.

**  
Two weeks later in the living room stressin' (stressin')**

**My father's stone-faced while you're asking for his blessin' (blessin')**

“Engaged after three weeks?” Madison asked incredulously.

“I didn’t want to risk dying in the war without being married to Eliza,” Hamilton justified. “Besides, there was no reason to wait. I know Eliza was the woman for me.”

Once again, as the room broke into a combination of cooing and teasing comments, two faces became remarkably pitched.

**  
I'm dying inside, as you wine and dine  
And I'm tryin' not to cry 'cause there's nothing that your mind can't do (Ooh)**

**My father makes his way across the room to you (Ooh)  
I panic for a second, thinking, "We're through" (Ooh)  
But then he shakes your hand and says, "Be true" (Ooh)  
And you turn back to me smiling, and I'm...**

**(Hey!)  
Helpless!**

“Father adored you right from the start,” Eliza assured Hamilton as they resumed their dance. “He said right from the start that while you might not currently have wealth or status, that it would only be a short time before your star was going to rise, and before your inauspicious background would be irrelevant.”

**  
(Look into your eyes, and the sky's the limit)  
I'm helpless, hoo  
(Down for the count and I'm drownin' in 'em I'm helpless!)  
Yes mommy, that boy is mine  
(Look into your eyes, and the sky's the limit)  
(I'm helpless!)  
Helpless!  
Down for the count and I'm drownin' in 'em**

**[Hamilton:]  
Eliza, I don't have a dollar to my name  
An acre of land, a troop to command, a dollop of fame  
All I have's my honor, a tolerance for pain  
A couple of college credits and my top-notch brain**

Jefferson inhaled to make a remark, but in unison, Lafayette, Laurens and Hercules turned to glare. Jefferson swallowed his words with a sigh and relaxed back into his seat, with Madison whispering praises to him for showing some restraint.

**  
Insane, your family brings out a different side of me  
Peggy confides in me, Angelica tried to take a bite of me**

Once again, Angelica frantically scanned the room, looking for anyone who was interpreting the line in any way other than innocently.

**No stress, my love for you is never in doubt  
We'll get a little place in Harlem and we'll figure it out  
I've been livin' without a family since I was a child  
My father left, my mother died, I grew up buckwild  
But I'll never forget my mother's face, that was real**

**And long as I'm alive, Eliza, swear to God  
You'll never feel so…**

“I do promise,” Hamilton whispered to Eliza. “I promise that you’ll never have to live how I lived, never have to want for anything in your life. I’ll take care of you and our children in the way that my mother's husband never bothered to take care of me or my mother.”

**[Hamilton (Eliza) {all women}:]  
{Helpless!} (I do I do I do I do!) Eliza...  
{Helpless!} (I do I do I do I do!) I've never felt so  
{Helpless!} (Hey, yeah, yeah!)  
{Down for the count and I'm drownin' in 'em}  
(Down for the count and I'm)  
My life is gon' be fine 'cause Eliza's in it {Helpless!}  
(I look into your eyes, and the sky's the limit)  
{Helpless!}  
(I'm) {Helpless!}  
{Down for the count and I'm drownin' in 'em}**

**[*wedding march plays*]**

Everyone chuckled at the sight of Hercules solemnly scattering flower petals down the aisle as the procession walked.

“What did you whisper to my sister, Lafayette?” Angelica asked dangerously, as the onstage counterpart’s face flashed with amusement and shock at some comment from the Frenchman. Lafayette refused to answer, only smiling in response.

**[All women:]  
In New York you can be a new man  
In New York you can be a new man  
In New York you can be a new man**

**[Eliza:]  
Helpless**

“Hang on,” Peggy spoke up. “I’m barely mentioned here.” Her sharp eyes latched onto Robyn, who was looking more than a little uncomfortable. “Tell me that I’m more than ‘And Peggy’ in this musical.”

“I’d like to,” Robyn said sheepishly, “But I can’t.”

The bold, confident young woman looked like she was contemplating whether or not to be angry or to be upset. “Why not?” she asked, her voice shaking. “Why am I reduced to a few brief lines, and then written out of the narrative?”

Robyn took a deep breath, then sighed. “Several reasons,” she began. “This musical is double cast. Many different actors will play two roles because their first role does not appear in the latter half of the musical. Your actress is one of those. We can’t give you a large role in the first half or your absence will be all the more jarring in the second. Secondly, you didn’t actually have a reoccurring impact on Hamilton’s life. You were friendly, you exchanged letters, but that was pretty much it. And finally, while most of the people here were somewhat…chaotic in how they lived, you preferred a quiet life. You had a husband, had kids, lived a good life. And people who live quiet lives seldom make for good entertainment.” Robyn chose to keep the knowledge of how young Peggy had died to herself.

“But what does my impact on Alexander have to do with anything?” Peggy’s voice shook, and a few tears began to well in her eyes. “Is my life somehow unimportant because I didn’t interact with him on the regular?”

“Of course not!” Robyn’s voice betrayed her shock. “Your life is just as important as any other life. But this musical...it’s a snapshot of history. A condensed story, focusing around one person. And in order to create a coherent and timely story, some things get reduced to passing comments or forgotten entirely. Slavery doesn’t get its full due. Nor do the plights of Native Americans. Heck, we completely ignore the existence of six of Hamilton’s own children! Things in performed media are just shorter sometimes. And the details have a tendency to get lost.”

Robyn paused, then said delicately, “If it makes you feel better, many people here in 2020 enjoy your ‘And Peggy’. It is something that those who feel overshadowed or alone can understand, being the ‘And Peggy’ of the group. Perhaps it would be nice if you had gotten a larger role, but many people still love what you have.”

Peggy huffed in dissatisfaction, but she nodded her grudging acceptance to Robyn’s coaxing. After making sure the most recent crisis had been calmed, and after Hamilton and Eliza had sunk into seats next to each other near the other Schuyler sisters, Robyn restarted the musical and prepared herself for the disaster to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I expected when doing research that the whole ‘engaged in three weeks’ was going to be an exaggeration. It’s actually true, but slightly more complicated. Hamilton didn’t actually meet Eliza at the ball. Instead, he likely met Eliza when he stayed briefly in Albany during the early days of the war. Philip Schuyler often hosted prominent military and political figures at the time. However, they started a much closer correspondence a few years later after the ball mentioned in the musical, and yes, they ended up marrying on December 14th, 1780, just a few weeks after they started courting. 
> 
> One of the most fun parts of being a theatre kid is trying to make your friends break concentration or goof up on stage (so long as you’re both unmiked and are in the background). I’ve had friends whisper dirty jokes and make rude comments about certain members of the audience in an effort to make the people around them break concentration. I have no clue what Daveed Diggs whispered to Jasmine Cephas Jones as they were walking down the aisle together, but I bet it was good.


	13. Satisfied

As Hamilton and Eliza settled together in a pair of seats next to Angelica and Eliza, both slightly puffed from the dance, the musical rolled onto the next song. Robyn winced a little as she saw Angelica relax, sure in the knowledge that her secret would remain a secret.

**[Laurens:]  
Alright, alright. That's what I'm talkin' about!**

“I almost forgot how drunk you got that night!” Hercules let out a boisterous laugh as the actor onstage stumbled forward, clutching two glasses of alcohol.

“How drunk _we_ got,” Laurens corrected, elbowing his friend in the ribs.

**  
Now everyone give it up for the maid of honor  
Angelica Schuyler!**

Polite applause rang out from the revolutionary set as Eliza leant over to smile at her older sister.

**[Angelica (all men) {all women}:]  
A toast to the groom!  
(To the groom!)  
(To the groom!)  
{(To the groom!)}  
To the bride!  
{To the bride!}  
(To the bride!)  
{To the bride!}  
From your sister  
(Angelica!)  
(Angelica!)  
{(Angelica!)}  
Who is always by your side  
(By your side)  
{By your side}**

“I don’t think I have ever truly expressed how grateful I have been for your presence over the years,” Eliza said softly. “I cannot imagine how my life would have gone without you…without both of you there with me.”

“There is nowhere else I would rather be,” Angelica assured her. “I’d do anything for your happiness.”

**  
To your union  
{(To the union!)}  
{(To the revolution!)}**

“There is a time and a place,” Washington gently chided, gazing at the male actors in their uniforms. “While the revolution was critical…some things should be kept free of politics and tidings of war.”

**  
And the hope that you provide  
(You provide!)  
{(You provide!)}  
May you always…  
{(Always)}  
Be satisfied**

“I cannot imagine being otherwise,” Hamilton assured Angelica.

**  
{(Rewind)}**

“Pardon…rewind?” Lafayette asked. “I do not recognise that word.”

“It means to go back,” Hercules supplied. “But why…?”

**[Recorded Samples:]  
Rewind, rewind  
Helpless,  
Schuyler, Schuyler  
Helpless  
Drownin' in 'em  
Drownin', rewind**

As the actors spun and the lights flashed, Angelica paled in horror as she recognised what was about to occur. As she shot an accusing glare at Robyn, all Robyn could do was shoot her a sympathetic glance in response.

**I remember that night, I just might (rewind)  
I remember that night, I just might (rewind)  
I remember that night, I remember that**

**[Angelica:]  
I remember that night, I just might  
Regret that night for the rest of my days**

**I remember those soldier boys  
Tripping over themselves to win our praise**

“But this is the ball!” Peggy exclaimed, recognising the positioning and the lighting.

“Angelica, what could bring you to regret that night so ardently?” Eliza asked, her voice edged with a hint of suspicion. Angelica only shook her head in response.

**  
I remember that dreamlike candlelight  
Like a dream that you can't quite place  
But Alexander, I'll never forget the first time I saw your face.**

“Ah,” Hamilton said in realization. “I had thought…” he went silent, looking between Eliza and Angelica.

“Alexander, Angelica, what is going on?” Eliza’s voice was gradually growing sharper with her nerves.

**I have never been the same  
Intelligent eyes in a hunger-pang frame  
And when you said, "Hi," I forgot my dang name  
Set my heart aflame, every part aflame  
[Full Company:]  
This is not a game…**

“You…you were attracted to Alexander as well,” Eliza said faintly. “But I thought the jokes in this musical were just…jokes!”

“They are, and they aren’t,” Angelica said softly. “I would never dream of taking Alexander from you, nor ask you to share him with any degree of seriousness. But…things are still complicated.”

As the group watched Hamilton’s counterpart casually block Lafayette in a quest to approach Angelica, the real Angelica knew that there was more to come.

**[Hamilton:]  
You strike me as a woman who has never been satisfied  
[Angelica:]  
I'm sure I don't know what you mean  
You forget yourself  
[Hamilton:]  
You're like me  
I'm never satisfied  
[Angelica:]  
Is that right?  
[Hamilton:]  
I've never been satisfied**

“I knew that you spoke with Angelica that night,” Eliza said softly to Hamilton. “I never fully realized that the pair of you were flirting.”

“I’m sorry if that information hurt you,” Hamilton replied. “To me now, it was harmless flirtation, done before we had even talked to each other, and never having an opportunity to grow into anything more. I didn’t realize how much it meant to Angelica.”

**  
[Angelica:]  
My name is Angelica Schuyler  
[Hamilton:]  
Alexander Hamilton  
[Angelica:]  
Where's your family from?  
[Hamilton:]  
Unimportant  
There's a million things I haven't done  
but just you wait, just you wait…**

“Hedging around the answer there, Hamilton,” Jefferson spoke up from behind the group, startling Hamilton who had almost forgotten that he was there.

“It is customary to answer the question you are asked,” Madison agreed.

“That would have gone down well,” Hamilton responded dryly. “Nice to meet you. I’m a penniless immigrant from an island known more for its pirates and its frequent attacks from the Spanish and French. My mother’s lover ran off when I was a small child and my mother died of yellow fever, while her first husband stole what remained of her estate. Would you like to dance?”

“Not the time for bickering,” Peggy stepped in, her voice low in warning as she gestured to her two sisters.

**[Angelica:]  
So so so... so this is what it feels like to match wits  
With someone at your level! What the hell is the catch?  
It's the feeling of freedom, of seein' the light  
It's Ben Franklin with a key and a kite!  
You see it, right?**

“I had always hoped to find a man who would respect not only my beauty and wealth, but my intellect as well,” Angelica said softly. “Too many men find it improper for a woman to have opinions on topics like politics or law. We are supposed to be delicate and demure…to keep the home and devote ourselves to more fragile pursuits. Alexander was the first man to care about my brain along with my position in society.”

**The conversation lasted two minutes, maybe three minutes  
Everything we said in total agreement, it's  
A dream and it's a bit of a dance  
A bit of a posture, it's a bit of a stance**

**He's a bit of a flirt, but I'm 'a give it a chance.  
I asked about his family. Did you see his answer?  
His hands started fidgeting, he looked askance?  
He's penniless, he's flying by the seat of his pants**

“I had hoped that it wasn’t that obvious,” Hamilton admitted awkwardly.

“It was,” Peggy piped in, her voice filled with false cheer, inspiring a laugh and a release of tension from the rest of the group.

“So if you liked Alexander so much from the start,” Eliza said, undeterred, “then why…?”

Seeing Angelica lost for words and unable to explain, Robyn let the musical continue.

**Handsome. Boy, does he know it?  
Peach fuzz, and he can't even grow it!**

**I wanna take him far away from this place  
Then I turn and see my sister's face  
And she is…**

**[Eliza:]  
Helpless…**

“No…” Eliza said, her voice filled with dawning realization and guilt.

“I would do anything for you,” Angelica explained softly. “Anything…including giving up on my first chance at a happy marriage.”

**[Angelica:]  
And I know she is…  
[Eliza:]  
Helpless…  
[Angelica:]  
And her eyes are just…  
[Eliza:]  
Helpless…  
[Angelica:]  
And I realize  
[Angelica and Company:]  
Three fundamental truths at the exact same time…**

“If you had said that you wanted him, that your conversation had gone well, I would have stepped aside,” Eliza said, her voice thick with guilt. “I never wanted to pressure you into backing down.”

“It’s not that simple,” Angelica replied.

**[Hamilton:]  
Where are you taking me?  
[Angelica:]  
I'm about to change your life  
[Hamilton:]  
Then by all means, lead the way **

**[Company (except Angelica):]  
Number one!  
[Angelica:]  
I'm a girl in a world in which  
My only job is to marry rich**

“Is that not standard?” Angelica asked, her voice holding a note of longing. “For women to spend their youth being educated in a variety of lessons so that they may attract a rich husband, and then spend their later years teaching the same lessons to their own daughters?”

“Not as much anymore,” Robyn spoke up. “Things aren’t perfectly equal, and there are still some countries where women are oppressed. But these days it is understood that a woman can do any job that a man can do, and it is illegal to refuse to treat someone differently based on their gender.”  
“How in the world did _that_ happen?” Peggy asked, completely incredulous.

“It mostly started with women wanting the right to vote,” Robyn supplied. “Wyoming might have let its woman vote, but most states—most countries—didn’t. So women started going out and protesting for equality. The equality movement was really pushed forwards by both world wars, when the men went to fight and the women took over their jobs in the factories to keep the front lines supplied. To be honest, the women’s’ rights movement is a long one with many different factors that occurred in multiple countries.”

“I’m sorry,” Washington interjected, his face pale. “ _World_ war?”

Robyn nodded solemnly. “Think the Seven Years War, but bigger,” she described, her voice grave. “Two of them, only two decades apart.” The General went white as a ghost, envisioning the horrors to come in the future.

**  
My father has no sons so I'm the one  
Who has to social climb for one**

“So it is not just men who concern themselves with their legacy,” Jefferson reflected as he watched events unfold.

“Yes it is,” Peggy objected sharply. “You don’t see women worrying about having a male heir, or building monuments, or trying to start a business for their offspring to continue.”  
“Perhaps not,” Burr replied. “But you worry about the legacy of your family. About making sure that you do not marry below your position, and that you can help your family socially advance. You may be concerned because your father is concerned, but it is a source of concern none-the-less.”

The three Schuylers sat quietly as the reflected on his words. They were surprised by how true they rang.

**So I'm the oldest and the wittiest and the gossip in  
New York City is insidious**

“Well said,” Hercules said, his eyes bright with empathy. “I have seen gossip and slander destroy a good man’s—or a good woman’s—reputation in a matter of weeks. Eliza and Alexander were very much the topic of conversation after they started courting. I cannot imagine how much more scandalous it would have been to have the eldest Schuyler daughter dating Hamilton.”

**  
And Alexander is penniless  
Ha! That doesn't mean I want him any less**

“It would have been easier if knowing that we were poorly suited fixed things,” Angelica admitted softly.

**[Eliza:]  
Elizabeth Schuyler. It's a pleasure to meet you  
[Hamilton:]  
Schuyler?  
[Angelica:]  
My sister**

**[Company:]  
Number two!  
[Angelica:]  
He's after me 'cause I'm a Schuyler sister**

**That elevates his status, I'd  
Have to be naïve to set that aside**

“I did not only like you because of your status, nor is that the only reason why I married Eliza,” Hamilton defended hotly.

“I know that you don’t want to use our family,” Angelica soothed, “and that even then you had plans for what you would do to help move yourself up in the world. But our status was something that was a factor to consider to you…and you would hardly be the first person to try and use our family for money or power.”

**  
Maybe that is why  
I introduce him to Eliza  
Now that's his bride  
Nice going, Angelica, he was right  
You will never be satisfied**

“You are a hard act to follow,” Angelica confessed, and even as she said it, there was the slightest note of longing and bitter regret hiding behind her words.

**[Eliza:]  
Thank you for all your service  
[Hamilton:]  
If it takes fighting a war for us to meet, it will have been worth it  
[Angelica:]  
I'll leave you to it**

“You’re trying so hard to be happy for your sister,” Laurens softly reflected, watching the actress trying to bravely keep her head up.

**[Company:]  
Number three!  
[Angelica:]  
I know my sister like I know my own mind  
You will never find  
Anyone as trusting or as kind  
If I tell her that I love him she'd be silently resigned  
He'd be mine  
She would say, "I'm fine."  
[Angelica and Company:]  
She'd be lying**

“I never meant to make you unhappy,” Eliza whispered, her voice drenched in agony.

“You never did,” Angelica insisted. “I made my choice, and I have stuck with it. John may not be as…engaging as Alexander. But I still appreciate him for who he is and the life he has helped me build. And I could never have been happy with Alexander, knowing that I hurt you to have him.”

Eliza touched her husband’s shoulder with a soft hand, but quickly left him behind. Instead, she moved back to rejoin her sisters, arranging them so that Peggy was on one side of Angelica and Eliza was on the other. The trio cuddled close, trying to express with physical closeness all the words that none of them could find.

**[Angelica:]  
But when I fantasize at night  
It's Alexander's eyes  
As I romanticize what might  
Have been if I hadn't sized  
Him up so quickly  
At least my dear Eliza's his wife;  
At least I keep his eyes in my life…**

“I cherish our letters,” Angelica said, “and the brief times we have been able to see each other in person. Alexander still knows how to connect with me, to challenge and engage me. And though we can never be what I had initially imagined, I do still value your wit and your company, brother.”

Hamilton offered no words to that, simply bowing to Angelica from his seat.

**[Angelica (all men) {all women}:]  
To the groom!  
(To the groom!)  
(To the groom!)  
{(To the groom!)}  
To the bride!  
{To the bride!}  
(To the bride!)  
{To the bride!}  
From your sister  
(Angelica!)  
(Angelica!)  
{(Angelica!)}  
Who is always by your side  
(By your side)  
{By your side}  
To your union  
{(To the union!)}  
{(To the revolution!)}  
And the hope that you provide  
(You provide!)  
{(You provide!)}  
May you always…  
{(Always)}  
Be satisfied  
(Be satisfied)  
{Be satisfied}  
(Be satisfied)**

“I cannot imagine how hard it was for you to wish us well at our wedding,” Eliza reflected, her voice pitched.

“The fact that I know how much Alexander loves you made it bearable,” Angelica assured her.

**  
And I know  
{(Be satisfied)}  
(Be satisfied)  
(Be satisfied)  
(Be satisfied)  
She'll be happy as  
(Be satisfied)  
(Be satisfied)  
His bride  
{(Be satisfied)}**

“Don’t give up everything for our happiness,” Peggy said softly, as the song began to wind down. Angelica looked over in surprise.

“I mean it,” Peggy insisted. “You have sacrificed so much for everyone in the family. But you need to remember to find your own happiness to chase. Not just the contentment you seem happy to settle for.”  
“I…I will try,” Angelica said uncertainly. Both Peggy and Eliza wrapped their older sister in one more strong hug.

**  
And I know  
(Be satisfied)  
(Be satisfied)  
(Be satisfied)  
{Be satisfied}  
He will never be satisfied  
I will never be satisfied**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured before doing my research that the word ‘rewind’ wouldn’t appear until the 1920s-1930s and the rise of the movie making industry. But it turns out that according to etymoneline dot com, it was first used in 1717. Of course, my research could still be wrong, but at least I tried to fact check. 
> 
> To give a brief summary of the drama with Hamilton’s mother, Rachael Fawcett: she was originally married to a Danish or German merchant named Johann Michael Lavien in the Virgin Islands, who she had one son with. She then left her son and husband, moved to Nevis, and moved in with James Hamilton. She had two sons with James (James Jr and Alexander), but James later abandoned her, possibly so she didn’t get arrested for adultery. When she died, Lavien seized her estate and took all of the valuables, leaving Hamilton with nothing but the family’s books which were bought at auction by a family friend and returned to him. So if any of you were wondering about the whole ‘son of a whore’ thing from the opening: she wasn’t a prostitute like some might assume, but she was labelled that for having an extramarital affair and birthing two sons out of wedlock. 
> 
> I’ll be discussing the Seven Years War more thoroughly in the History Has Its Eye on You chapter. Both because it links directly to Washington’s past and leads into the reason for the War of Independence, and because not many history classes discuss it, which is honestly a shame. 
> 
> I’ve seen a lot of these stories attack Hamilton repeatedly for wanting to build a legacy, and being obsessed with it. And they have a point; building a legacy shouldn’t be sought out at the exclusion of all else. But the thing is that everyone at the time, particularly those of good social standing, were concerned about their legacy. Moving up in the world, either through marriage, through the accumulation of wealth or through social connections, was a major concern to everyone. And that includes the women. Angelica said it best herself: “My father has no sons, so I’m the one who has to social climb for one.” The question of when to socially advance is going to be a theme of this story, but trust me: it wasn’t just Alexander who was worried about this. 
> 
> I know that there’s lots of you out there who sacrifice to make your loved ones happy. I do it as well. But it’s important for your own mental health and wellbeing to find your limits. Think about Shel Silverstein’s ‘The Giving Tree’. If you focus only on giving to make your loved ones happy, you end up being stripped of everything until all that remains is a stump. It’s up to you what you are willing to sacrifice and what you want to fight for, but you need to find those limits.


	14. The Story of Tonight (Reprise)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confession time: I didn’t research last week’s chapter thoroughly enough. I have a few corrections to make. Philip Schuyler had sons. Several in fact. The bizarre thing is that I knew that, and I knew which ones were already alive (they come up in a later chapter), but for some reason I never corrected the whole ‘my father has no sons’ thing. I’m going to leave it the way it is, because a) I own up to my mistakes, and b) the point about legacies and how women were just as focused as men on them is still worth noting, but the mistake is still there.
> 
> Additionally, Angelica was married to John Church when she first met Alexander. Not sure how I missed that one; I should have rechecked my dates. Again, I’m going to leave it, both because of the whole ‘own up to your mistake’ thing and because otherwise Angelica would be asking some very awkward questions at this point about why there was a whole romantic song about her unrequited love for Hamilton.
> 
> Thank you to the fans that called me out on those points. It’s good to know that I have some history minded readers out there to keep me from screwing up too badly.

**[Laurens:]  
I may not live to see our glory!**

**[Mulligan/Lafayette:]  
I may not live to see our glory!**

“I wish this musical would stop repeating that line,” Lafayette admitted, his voice soft. Hamilton paused for a second or two, but a gesture from Eliza, who was still with Angelica, sent Hamilton back down the theatre to sit by the Frenchman who was clearly anticipating what was coming.

**[Laurens:]  
But I've seen wonders great and small**

**[Mulligan/Lafayette:]  
I've seen wonders great and small**

**[Laurens:]  
'Cause if the tomcat can get married**

**[Mulligan/Lafayette:]  
If Alexander can get married**

**[Laurens:]  
There's hope for our ass, after all!**

“HEY!” Hamilton yelped in objection, but his protests were drowned out by the laughter of his friends. Even Lafayette showed a fragile grin as he clasped Hamilton’s shoulder.

**[Lafayette:]  
Raise a glass to freedom**

**[Laurens/Mulligan:]  
Hey!  
Something you will never see again!**

**[Mulligan:]  
No matter what she tells you**

“I can see why none of you were married,” Eliza said dryly.

“Au contraire,” Lafayette spoke up with a flourish. “I married my dear Adrienne before I came to America. We were wed in 1774.”

“I married Elizabeth in 1773,” Hercules supplied. “I even introduced Alex to her when he arrived in America.”

“1776 for me,” Laurens admitted. “I even had a child by now.”  
“Then you all have no excuse for acting as if marriage is a set of shackles,” Eliza huffed. “Never see freedom again…I guarantee that if you had no freedom, none of you would be on the front lines, taking pot shots at British soldiers.”

**[Lafayette:]  
Let's have another round tonight!**

**[Laurens:]  
Raise a glass to the four of us!**

**[Lafayette/Hamilton:]  
Ho!**

**[Mulligan:]  
To the newly not poor of us!**

**[Laurens/Lafayette/Hamilton:]  
Woo!**

Angelica shot the small group a dirty look. “Remember how I raised the concern about people using my family for wealth or power?” she asked, before pointedly gesturing towards the screen.

“In my defence,” Hercules said, “I knew even then that Hamilton would never use your family just to gain some money or power. But I have known that boy since he came to New York without a dollar to his name. Knowing that now he was financially safe, and wouldn’t have to scramble for every penny he could find…it was a source of joy and comfort for me.”

**[Lafayette:]  
We'll tell the story of tonight**

**[Laurens:]  
Let's have another round**

“Is that how people dance in 2020,” Hercules asked, his eye drawn to the trio rhythmically swaying back and forth on the stage.

“It’s how drunk people dance in 2020,” Robyn piped up cheerfully.

There was a brief pause, then Hercules replied with a “Fair enough.” The small group winced at how much they had indulged themselves on the night of Hamilton’s wedding.

**[Hamilton:]  
Well, if it isn't Aaron Burr**

**[Burr:]  
Sir!**

**[Hamilton:]  
I didn't think that you would make it**

**[Burr:]  
To be sure**

**[Mulligan/Lafayette:]  
Burr!**

“Well, that got rid of the party atmosphere,” Jefferson snarked.

“There’s always one or two people you have to make small talk with because you invited them out of politeness,” Madison agreed.

Hamilton could see Burr’s discomfort and embarrassment, so he leant a few seats over to have a quiet word. “It wasn’t politeness,” he said softly. “I invited you because you’re my friend, and I’m honestly touched that you came. I always appreciated it.” Burr shot him a grateful smile, and Hamilton sat back up in his seat.

**[Burr:]  
I came to say congratulations**

**[Mulligan:]  
Spit a verse, Burr!**

**[Burr:]  
I see the whole gang is here**

**[Lafayette:]  
You are the worst, Burr!**

“Thanks,” Burr said dryly, a hint of offence creeping into his words.

“I am sorry, _mon ami_ ,” Lafayette said, still clearly amused from the song, yet serious despite it. “But you are just so much fun to rile up, _non_? Always so serious and stern. We simply enjoy trying to pluck your feathers.”  
“Ruffle your feathers,” Burr gently corrected, nodding in response to Lafayette’s apology. A part of him, however small, had always felt irritated by the constant teasing of Hamilton and his friends. He had never thought that their teasing might be how they chose to show affection.

**[Hamilton:]  
Ignore them  
Congrats to you, Lieutenant Colonel  
I wish I had your command instead of manning George's journal**

Washington shot Hamilton a chiding glare. Hamilton ducked his head a little at the disapproval, but still shrugged his shoulders. He had made his position and desires clear, after all. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to Washington to hear he wanted a command.

**[Burr:]  
No, you don't**

**[Hamilton:]  
Yes, I do**

**[Burr:]  
Now, be sensible  
From what I hear, you've made yourself indispensable**

“Indispensable?” Jefferson asked incredulously.

“Indispensable,” Madison responded, to everyone’s surprise. He coughed delicately into his handkerchief and explained, “Hamilton’s requests for aid were always the most effective at convincing Congress to act and to send additional supplies or aid. Not that it always worked, mind you. There were many in Congress who wished to make peace with England, or feared sending out supplies when the British soldiers could potentially raid them, or who had a thousand other excuses for not supporting the war. But Hamilton’s letters…his many, _many_ letters…had the best chance of success.”

**[Laurens:]  
Well, well, I heard  
You've got a special someone on your side, Burr**

Burr flushed with embarrassment as his onstage counterpart was swarmed, reminiscing on how it felt to be a young man and to be teased by his fellow soldiers.

**[Hamilton:]  
Is that so?**

**[Laurens:]  
What are you tryin' to hide, Burr?**

**[Burr:]  
I should go**

**[Hamilton:]  
No, these guys should go**

**[Lafayette:]  
What?**

**[Laurens:]  
No!**

**[Hamilton:]  
Leave us alone**

**[Mulligan:]  
Man…**

“Thank you,” Burr said, his voice rough with relief.

“It fell to me as the most sobor person there to stop my friends from getting into too much trouble,” Hamilton acknowledged. “Or to stop them from making the people around them feel too uncomfortable.”

**[Hamilton:]  
It's alright, Burr  
I wish you'd brought this girl with you tonight, Burr**

**[Burr:]  
You're very kind, but I'm afraid it's unlawful, sir**

**[Hamilton:]  
What do you mean?**

**[Burr:]  
She's married**

**[Hamilton:]  
I see**

**[Burr:]  
She's married to a British officer**

**[Hamilton:]  
Oh shit…**

Laughs broke out across the room at the final line, and the sound of mild horror in Miranda’s voice.

“You never told us that Burr was dating a British officer’s wife,” Laurens yelped in objection.

Burr looked at Hamilton with deep gratitude for keeping his secret. Hamilton silently nodded to him, answering both Burr and Laurens with a simple, “It wasn’t my secret to tell.”

**[Burr:]  
Congrats again, Alexander  
Smile more  
I'll see you on the other side of the war**

**[Hamilton:]  
I will never understand you  
If you love this woman, go get her!  
What are you waiting for?**

“Poor advice from a married man,” Eliza said, her voice soft yet dangerous.

“I apologise, my love,” Hamilton responded, a guilty smile on his face. “You know how liable I am to rush into things. And on that night, I was so full of excitement and romance…”

“And alcohol,” Hercules jumped in with a grin.

“That I couldn’t bear for Burr to not be as happy as I was,” Hamilton finished smoothly. Eliza rolled her eyes at her husband, but couldn’t help but smile in response.

**[Burr:]  
I'll see you on the other side of the war**

**[Hamilton:]  
I'll see you on the other side of the war**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not sure if Hamilton told his friends about Burr’s affair, or even what Hamilton knew about Burr’s affair. I know that most fics have Hamilton rushing back to camp to gossip with all his friends about Burr sleeping with another man’s wife. However, I personally think that Miranda’s version of Hamilton is the type of person who will nuke their own life without a second thought, but will be far more careful with sharing secrets or bringing harm to those around them. And since that version of Hamilton is inspiring his responses in this fic, that’s what I’m going with. 
> 
> Next week's chapter is one that a LOT of people have been looking forward to. I hope I do it justice.


	15. Wait For It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter briefly discusses/implies survivor’s guilt. If this is a trigger for you, skip the commentary after the ‘death doesn’t discriminate’ chorus. The notes at the bottom also discuss Jefferson’s relationship with his underage slave, Sally Hemmings. If this is a trigger for you, skip the last two paragraphs of the author’s notes.

The bright notes from the piano echoed through the cinema as the play moved on. Burr quickly scanned the stage, looking to see what element was about to be introduced.

“Am I about to serve as narrator again?” he asked politely.

Robyn shook her head in response. “No, this is your song. One of the first where we actually dive into who Aaron Burr is.”

“This should be interesting,” Hercules mused. “You’ve always been a bit…taciturn. I feel as if I need this song just as much as any audience from the future.”

**[Burr:]  
Theodosia writes me a letter every day  
I'm keeping the bed warm while her husband is away**

**He's on the British side in Georgia  
He's trying to keep the colonies in line  
But he can keep all of Georgia  
Theodosia, she's mine**

“That’s an…odd thought,” Madison spoke up. “You do remember you were fighting in a war, right? Georgia deserved its independence from Britain as much as any other state.”

“I know,” Burr agreed, “but Theo…she’s the love of my life. Well, one of the two, along with our daughter. And if Prevost had offered to release his claim on her in exchange for me quitting the field, it would have been hard to say no.”

“I’m sorry—Prevost?” Washington interjected, clearly shocked. “As in former governor of Georgia, Jacques Marcus Prevost? The war hero who could have easily had you executed if he had found out about the affair?”

At Burr’s sheepish nod, the room burst into mutters of surprise. “Damn, Burr,” Robyn said, an impressed grin on her face, “go big or go home.”

“One verse into this song,” Hamilton said as the room began to settle, “and I feel as if my previous conception of Burr has already been turned on its head.”

**Love doesn't discriminate  
Between the sinners  
And the saints  
It takes and it takes and it takes**

**  
And we keep loving anyway  
We laugh and we cry  
And we break  
And we make our mistakes**

“Well said,” Jefferson said, “as much as we wish we can understand and control love, we are all helpless to the manipulations of Fate.” It was clear that Jefferson was preoccupied with the fickleness of love. Privately, Robyn wondered if his mind was being drawn to a young black slave that so closely resembled Jefferson’s former wife.

**And if there's a reason I'm by her side  
When so many have tried  
Then I'm willing to wait for it  
I'm willing to wait for it**

“I don’t know why Theo chose me,” Burr admitted softly, “but I fear that if I asked—if I challenged why she chose me for a paramour when she could have had any man in the entirety of the state…”

“Then she might question the same thing, and look for companionship elsewhere,” Hamilton finished his thought. At Burr’s look of surprise, he shrugged with a wry smile and said, “I may be inclined to challenge and question, but I am also well aware of the consequences each time I do. And there are many times when I have wished that I could be like you—content to leave such matters alone.”

**[Burr:]  
My grandfather was a fire and brimstone preacher  
([Men:] Preacher, preacher, preacher)  
But there are things that the  
Homilies and hymns won't teach ya  
([Men:] Teach ya, teach ya, teach ya)**

“You certainly didn’t learn about fidelity and not coveting your neighbour’s wives from the Bible,” Jefferson snarked. Burr couldn’t help but wince. As much as he justified it to himself, he was well aware of the irony of the preacher’s grandson being an adulterer.

“Are many of your family religious?” Angelica asked, curious.

“Everyone,” Burr said with a smile. “My father was a minister, my paternal grandfather was the same, and my maternal grandfather studied theology. Even my maternal uncle, who took myself and my sister in after my parents and grandparents passed, was religious—or claimed to be.”

“Claimed to be?” Washington enquired, his voice gentle. Burr looked at him with barely contained fury as he simply said, “No man who beats a child like a sack belongs to any loving God I recognise.”

**  
My mother was a genius  
([Women:] Genius)  
My father commanded respect  
([Men:] Respect, respect)  
When they died they left no instructions**

**Just a legacy to protect**

“Legacy,” Peggy said softly. “It seems to haunt us all, whether we admit it or not. Trying to build one, trying to live up to one, trying to continue one, trying to improve one…”

“And yet building for the future, trying to create something that will outlast us—that is what makes us human,” Lafayette chimed in softly.

**[Burr/Ensemble:]  
Death doesn't discriminate  
Between the sinners and the saints  
It takes and it takes and it takes**

**  
And we keep living anyway  
We rise and we fall  
And we break  
And we make our mistakes**

**  
And if there's a reason I'm still alive  
When everyone who loves me has died  
I'm willing to wait for it (wait for it)  
I'm willing to wait for it**

**Wait for it**

“I couldn’t agree more,” Hamilton said, his voice soft and fragile. “I have outlived disaster upon disaster that slaughtered so many. And part of me will always wonder ‘why me’? Why God or Fate or some other incorporeal being chose to spare my life when everyone else perished.”

Burr nodded to Hamilton, both of them clearly reflecting on all that they had survived in their young lives, all the impossible trials they had both overcame, in order to be where they were in that moment.

**  
[Ensemble:]  
Wait for it  
Wait for it  
Wait for it**

The moment of silence and stillness, and then the blast of music made the small audience jump in surprise. As the music swelled, it seemed to grab at their chests, at the part of each of them that had survived what they hadn’t expected.

**[Burr:]  
I am the one thing in life I can control**

**[Ensemble:]  
Wait for it  
Wait for it  
Wait for it  
Wait for it**

**  
[Burr:]  
I am inimitable  
I am an original**

“It’s almost as if he is challenging the heavens themselves,” Laurens said in wonder. “Screaming at them that even though everything around Burr has been in chaos, that he is still here and still in control of his own life and his own actions.”

**[Ensemble:]  
Wait for it  
Wait for it  
Wait for it  
Wait for it**

**  
[Burr:]  
I'm not falling behind or running late**

**[Ensemble:]  
Wait for it  
Wait for it  
Wait for it  
Wait for it**

**  
[Burr:]  
I'm not standing still  
I am lying in wait**

**[Ensemble:]  
Wait  
Wait  
Wait**

“It’s a delicate balance,” Burr said softly. “Hamilton chases after every chance, every opportunity, and runs himself to exhaustion. But I am happier waiting patiently, finding the right spot to be in, so that when my moment comes, I am there and ready for it. Not half a mile away, chasing another dream entirely.”

**  
[Burr:]  
Hamilton faces an endless uphill climb**

**[Ensemble:]  
Climb  
Climb  
Climb**

**  
[Burr:]  
He has something to prove  
He has nothing to lose**

**[Ensemble:]  
Lose  
Lose  
Lose  
Lose  
  
**

Burr couldn’t help the lump that swelled in his throat as his onstage counterpart echoed the thought that he had expressed just a few seconds earlier about the differences between himself and Hamilton. It was clear that both his actor and the writer of the song truly understood how Burr felt and his motivations in choosing to wait for his moment.

**[Burr:]  
Hamilton's pace is relentless  
He wastes no time  
[Ensemble:]  
Time  
Time  
Time  
[Burr:]  
What is it like in his shoes?**

“Small,” Jefferson jumped in. “Very, _very_ small.”

“Just because I am surrounded by people who could double as draft horses…” Hamilton replied hotly.

“I believe it is fair to describe Hamilton’s shoes as ‘a series of never-ending conflicts’,” Lafayette said smoothly. Burr considered what it would be like to experience that as Jefferson and Hamilton continued to bicker, and winced.

**Hamilton doesn't hesitate  
He exhibits no restraint  
He takes and he takes and he takes**

**And he keeps winning anyway  
He changes the game  
He plays and he raises the stakes**

**  
And if there's a reason  
He seems to thrive when so few survive, then God damn it,**

**[Burr and Company:]  
I'm willing to wait for it (wait for it, wait for...)  
I'm willing to wait for it...**

“I honestly don’t understand how you manage it,” Burr admitted, looking over at Hamilton. “How you can jump at every opportunity, how you can take every chance, and somehow defy the odds each and every time.”

“I don’t fully understand you, either,” Hamilton replied. “How you can be content waiting for your opportunity, not knowing when it will arrive. How you can sit back in the shadows waiting for a chance that might never come.”

“And there is the fundamental difference between you,” Washington said calmly. “One who makes targeted moves, who waits for the perfect moment to strike, and the other who _makes_ his own opportunities and moments to strike. Neither of you is wrong; you just approach life in opposing ways.”

**Life doesn't discriminate  
Between the sinners and the saints  
It takes and it takes and it takes  
And we keep living anyway  
We rise and we fall and we break  
And we make our mistakes**

“It’s all we can do,” Laurens softly commented. “Life can be hard, and cruel. It rewards the deserving and the undeserving in equal measure, and punishes both wicked and good. All you can do is keep living.” He paused for a moment, chucked in a slightly bitter fashion, and finished his thought: “While you still have a life to live, that is.”

**  
And if there's a reason I'm still alive  
When so many have died  
Then I'm willin' to  
[Burr:]  
Wait for it...  
[Women:]  
Wait for it...  
[Men:]  
Wait for it...  
[Burr:]  
Wait for it...  
[Women:]  
Wait for it...  
[Men:]  
Wait for it...  
[Women:]  
Wait for it...  
[Men:]  
Wait for it...  
[Women:]  
Wait for it...  
[Men:]  
Wait for it...  
[Women:]  
Wait for it...  
[Men:]  
Wait...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOVE THIS SONG! It does so much to turn Burr from a one-note character into an actual human being with a history, ambitions, goals and fears.
> 
> Burr’s uncle, Timothy Edwards, was a bit of an asshole. We don’t know that much about him, mostly because Burr didn’t talk about him. However, Burr frequently tried to run away from home to escape him, including trying to get a job on a ship as a cabin boy to get away from him, and described him later on in life ‘beating [Burr] like a sack’. It’s worth acknowledging that corporal punishment used to be a lot more appropriate, and what we would consider to be abusive used to be standard (students in Victorian schools used to be caned for something as simple as leaving a room without permission, or used to be suspended in wicker baskets from the ceiling for being disruptive). However, waving away a person’s actions through the statement of ‘It was a different time’ will never sit well with me. And ‘children should not be physically beaten’ is right up there with ‘people are not property’ in the No Duh list. 
> 
> Hamilton wasn’t actually that short. He was 5’7”, or 170cm for all my non-American friends, which was pretty average for the time. But for the most part, all his friends and rivals (at least those we know the heights of) were taller than him, with the exception of Madison at 5’4”, who is incidentally the shortest US president, and John Adams, who was roughly the same height. I can imagine Jefferson (who was unusually tall for the time at 6’2”) lording his extra height over Hamilton relentlessly. 
> 
> For those of you who are confused about the comment from Jefferson, Sally Hemmings was a slave on the Jefferson plantation. She was a half-sister to Jefferson’s wife, Martha, and resembled her very closely. When Martha Jefferson passed, she asked Jefferson never to remarry, and he didn’t. However, when he was serving as Ambassador to France in the 1780s, he sent for his daughter to live with him, and she was accompanied on the journey by Sally Hemmings. It’s believed that Jefferson started his sexual relationship with Sally while they were in France. Sally was between the ages of 14 and 16 at the time. Sally ended up having several children over the years, and it is widely believed that Jefferson is the father of most, if not all of them.
> 
> I don’t know how Jefferson felt about Sally Hemmings. He certainly made no effort to free her, even when they were in France and it would have been relatively easy. On the other hand, Jefferson arranged for a variety of Sally’s family to be freed, including all of her surviving children. Jefferson also ensured that she and her children only ever had light work around the house, and never worked in the fields. I think it is very probable that Jefferson had a great deal of affection for Sally, and may have even loved her in his own way. But it is undeniable that their relationship was abusive, simply for the age Sally was when it started and the massive power imbalance between the pair. Please keep in mind that ‘love doesn’t discriminate’ musings in no way condone his actions. He might have loved her in his own way, but what he did still wasn’t right.


	16. Stay Alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I know I posted a chapter just yesterday, but I'm in a mood to celebrate. I've been offered a permanent teaching position in a town that is actually convenient for me to still see my friends and family (or at least some of them). Not only was I not expecting a permanent teaching position; I wasn't expecting a teaching position at all for a few years yet. So, to celebrate, you all get two chapters for the price of one this week. The Ten Duel Commandments will be posted at some point on Sunday, and we'll go back to the usual weekly schedule.

**[Eliza:]  
Stay alive…**

The soft notes of the piano, the rumble of distant cannons, and the heartfelt plea of Eliza quickly changed the tone of the song. Eliza clutched at her sisters’ hands, as Hamilton shot her looks of concern.

**[Eliza/Angelica/Ensemble women:]  
Stay alive…**

“I do not envy those who fought on the front lines,” Eliza said softly, “but being left behind was torturous in its own way. All I could do was pray that my husband was still alive and would return home safely, and it never felt like enough.”

**[Hamilton:]  
I have never seen the General so despondent  
I have taken over writing all his correspondence**

**Congress writes, "George, attack the British forces."  
I shoot back: “We have resorted to eating our horses”**

“Were things truly so dire?” Peggy asked, unsettled by the dark and sombre tone of the song.

The soldiers in the room nodded emphatically. “If it wasn’t for the General motivating us and Hamilton fighting Congress for every concession he could get, the army would have mutinied,” Laurens said grimly.

“Honestly, it’s almost a miracle that we got through the winters of the war without mass desertion,” Hercules reflected.

**  
Local merchants deny us equipment, assistance  
They only take British money, so sing a song of sixpence**

“Why,” Jefferson asked in confusion. “I mean, a sale is a sale. Surely merchants want to make money, no matter their political leanings.”

“There was no faith in Continentals,” Madison said, his voice weary. “We didn’t set out an economic plan before the beginning of the war, so Congress kept issuing bills of credit to the states. Inflation skyrocketed. It didn’t help that the British were counterfeiting Continentals themselves. Between the influx of money and the lack of any tangible assets, the public rapidly lost faith in the currency.”

“Not to mention that pounds, shillings, sixpences and the like were guaranteed to be of value after the war, and Continentals would only be worth anything if we won,” Hamilton stepped in. “If it wasn’t for Robert Morris and the French working together to help implement the Nova Constellatio as our new currency, the economy would have collapsed before the war was over.”

**[Washington:]  
The cavalry's not coming**

**[Hamilton:]  
But, sir!**

“Disaster after disaster after disaster,” Washington said grimly. Though they all knew that the Revolutionary soldiers would eventually succeed, the reminder of how hard it had been was not a pleasant one.

**[Washington:]  
Alex, listen. There's only one way for us to win this  
Provoke outrage, outright**

**[Hamilton:]  
That's right**

**[Washington:]  
Don't engage, strike by night  
Remain relentless 'til their troops take flight**

“Brilliant!” Jefferson exclaimed. “Relying on smaller skirmishes rather than larger battles to deplete resources and unnerve men. Not a common strategy, but an effective one.”

“Definitely,” Robyn confirmed. “Guerrilla warfare as it’ll become known as won’t be popularized until the late twentieth century, but it has been historically effective. If only for the fact that it is very hard to anticipate and to fight against.”

**[Hamilton:]  
Make it impossible to justify the cost of the fight**

“It all comes back to money,” Hamilton pointed out, gesturing back to the screen. “The more we harassed the British, the more supplies and weapons we stole or destroyed, the more it cost King George and his rich friends. And while lives may be numbers on a page to the British nobility, money running out of their coffers is significantly more upsetting. The British Empire might have been powerful…”

“But we could still make them feel the economic pinch,” Washington finished the thought.

**[Washington:]  
Outrun**

**[Hamilton:]  
Outrun**

**[Washington:]  
Outlast**

**[Hamilton:]  
Outlast**

**[Washington:]  
Hit 'em quick, get out fast**

**[Hamilton:]  
Chick-a-plao!**

“I cannot say I am a fan of these…not-words that make their way into the music,” Angelica said reflectively.

**[Washington:]  
Stay alive 'til this horror show is past  
We're gonna fly a lot of flags half-mast**

**[Hamilton/Laurens/Lafayette:]  
Raise a glass!**

Those in the room who had helped themselves to the food and drinks available raised a glass in a silent toast to the fallen, whether they be American, French or British. Those who had no cups to raise bowed their heads instead in a moment of silence.

**[Mulligan:]  
I go back to New York and my apprenticeship**

“Of all things to do, why return to being a tailor in the middle of a war?” Jefferson asked, staring incredulously at the Irishman. Hercules grinned in response, turning to face the screen, keeping his actions during the war secret for now.

**[Lafayette:]  
I ask for French aid, I pray that France has sent a ship**

**[Laurens:]  
I stay at work with Hamilton  
We write essays against slavery**

**And every day's a test of our camaraderie and bravery**

“Some of the hardest times in the war,” Laurens reflected, “but serving alongside you made it far better, Alex.”

A look of agonizing regret flashed across Hamilton’s face, but he simply clasped Laurens’ shoulder in response.

**[Hamilton:]  
We cut supply lines, we steal contraband  
We pick and choose our battles and places to take a stand  
And ev'ry day  
"Sir, entrust me with a command"  
And ev'ry day**

**[Washington:]  
No**

**[Hamilton:]  
He dismisses me out of hand**

“I am sorry if you felt slighted,” Washington said, slightly awkwardly. “But it was more important to have you as an aide-de-camp rather than having you lead your own platoon of soldiers.”

“It’s in the past,” Hamilton waved off Washington’s apology. Yet it was clear from his clipped tone and tense shoulders that while Washington’s choices may have been in the past, they still weighed heavily on the younger man’s shoulders.

**[Hamilton (Eliza/Angelica):]  
Instead of me (Stay alive...)  
He promotes  
Charles Lee ([Lee:] Charles Lee)  
Makes him second-in-command:**

**[Lee:]  
I'm a General. Whee!**

The entire group, including those who had served alongside General Lee, couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction.

**[Hamilton:]  
Yeah. He's not the choice I would have gone with**

“He was a good general through the majority of the war,” Washington defended hotly.

**[Hamilton/Laurens/Lafayette:]  
He shits the bed at the Battle of Monmouth**

The General flinched. “Except for then,” he corrected himself.

**[Washington:]  
Ev'ryone attack!**

**[Lee:]  
Retreat!**

**[Washington:]  
Attack!**

**[Lee:]  
Retreat!**

“ _Lâche,”_ Lafayette spat in distain, glaring at the man causing chaos on the stage. Washington sent his fellow officer a look of disapproval, but said nothing in response.

**[Washington:]  
What are you doing, Lee? Get back on your feet!**

**[Lee:]  
But there's so many of them!**

**[Washington:]  
I'm sorry, is this not your speed?!**

“This isn’t entirely accurate or fair to Lee,” Washington objected.

“It’s close enough,” Hamilton insisted, glaring darkly at the cowering general on stage.

**  
Hamilton!**

**[Hamilton:]  
Ready, sir!**

**[Washington:]  
Have Lafayette take the lead!**

**[Hamilton:]  
Yes, sir!**

Lafayette gently touched Hamilton’s shoulder in genuine regret. “I am sorry that Washington did not give you the command you wanted,” the Frenchman said softly, not wanting to draw the attention of the room.

Hamilton’s face twitched slightly, but he kept his composure. “If it wasn’t going to be me,” he responded, his voice gruff, “I’m at least glad it was you.”

**[Laurens:]  
A thousand soldiers die in a hundred degree heat**

**[Lafayette:]  
As we snatch a stalemate from the jaws of defeat**

Washington sent a grateful nod in the direction of Lafayette, not willing to stop the musical to express his congratulations yet again, but similarly unwilling to ignore the Frenchman’s military success. Lafayette sat a little straighter in his chair in response, returning Washington’s nod with a smile.

**[Hamilton:]  
Charles Lee was left behind  
Without a pot to piss in  
He started sayin' this to anybody who would listen:**

**[Lee:]  
Washington cannot be left alone to his devices  
Indecisive, from crisis to crisis.  
The best thing he can do for the revolution  
Is turn n' go back to plantin' tobacco in Mount Vernon!**

The soldiers in the group stiffened in their seats, grumbling darkly under their collective breaths. Jefferson and Madison, who hadn’t been there for the Charles Lee debacle, had a vastly different response. As one, they both leapt to their feet, yelling their objections.

“How dare he insult you like that?!” Madison yelled, his face red with fury.

“When we get back to our proper time, I am going to hunt down Lee and give him the thrashing he deserves,” Jefferson agreed, his eyes furious.

“SIT DOWN, BOTH OF YOU!” Washington boomed, his voice echoing through the small theatre. Madison and Jefferson immediately returned to their seats, as Washington returned to his normal speaking voice.

“There is no point to these hysterics,” Washington insisted. “Lee’s insults to my name did more to tarnish his own reputation over mine. Besides, he passed back in 1782, and his last remaining family died not long after. Now, for the love of God, calm down! The last thing I need or want is another fight or duel in my name!”

“Another?” Jefferson asked, his brow crinkled in confusion. Washington didn’t answer, gesturing instead to the screen in a silent indication that the answers were coming.

**[Washington:]  
Don't do a thing. History will prove him wrong**

**[Hamilton:]  
But, sir!**

**[Washington:]  
We have a war to fight, let's move along**

“If someone had been insulting my name, indicating that I was a coward or a poor leader or unfit to be part of the army, would you have stood by?” Hamilton asked hotly.

“No,” Washington admitted, “but the two situations are different. I was in a position of leadership; you were my subordinate. Any dissention or rabble-rousing amongst the men were my responsibility to sort out, including any insult to my staff.”

“And if I had not been your subordinate?” Hamilton challenged. “If we were equals in rank and social standing? Would you have ignored the insult then?”

“If it was your specifically stated wish to let the matter go?” Washington clarified. “Yes. I would have deferred to your preference in how and when to defend your own name.”

**[Laurens:]  
Strong words from Lee, someone oughta hold him to it**

**[Hamilton:]  
I can't disobey direct orders**

**[Laurens:]  
Then I'll do it**

**Alexander, you're the closest friend I've got**

**[Hamilton:]  
Laurens, do not throw away your shot.**

“I wish that you could have shown me the same respect,” Washington finished his earlier thought, “instead of searching for a loophole.”

Both Laurens and Hamilton squirmed in their seats, guilty in the face of Washington’s admonishments and knowing exactly what was about to happen next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone confused about the economic talk: Continentals were the first currency issued by Congress during the war. Think of them as essentially bank notes. The problem was that bank notes only have value as money as long as people agree that they have value. Furthermore, printing more and more bank notes just ends up devaluing them. The more Continentals and fake Continentals that flooded into circulation, the more worthless they became, until not even members of Congress would accept Continentals as pay. I imagine Jefferson would have known about the collapse of Continentals as a currency. But I needed someone to be ignorant of their brief period of use so that I could explain to everyone else why they collapsed. And seeing as Jefferson spent most of the war in France, he was the obvious choice. 
> 
> Lâche is one of several French words meaning ‘coward’. If I have used the wrong word for this context, please feel free to correct me.
> 
> As you can imagine, the Battle of Monmouth was more complex than the musical will have you believe. There are two popular ways to interpret the events. If you’re looking more for the pro-Lee view: Lee had a relatively small group of exhausted men, unclear orders and the mistaken belief that he was basically allowed to do as he saw fit. When he felt that his position was undefensible, and when his troops began to withdraw against orders, he saw fit to quit the field and ‘forgot’ to inform Washington. When Lee returned to the main force, he blamed his failings on faulty intelligence and his subordinates, which Washington really didn’t appreciate. Funnily enough, if Lee had just let it go, he probably would have been fine and the issue would have been dropped with no harm to Lee’s person or career. But Lee decided to write a series of insolent letters to Washington, which led to him being court-marshaled, and then kept running his mouth in public, which led to the duel. In the end, Lee sent a letter to Congress that was so poorly received that he ended up getting fired. And yes, this is the viewpoint that’s pro-Lee. 
> 
> If you want the anti-Lee opinion: It is believed by some historians that Lee’s actions in the Battle of Monmouth may have been attempted treason. The rationale behind this is a document discovered in the 1850s; specifically, a letter written from Lee to the Howe brothers written while Lee was a prisoner of war which detailed ideas on how to defeat the Americans. However, the questions of whether the letter was a red herring or not, and whether Monmouth was actually active treason or not, are uncertain. I don’t know enough on the issue to either profess Lee’s innocence or condemn him. I’ll leave you to decide for yourself.
> 
> Life lessons we can learn from all this: tell your boss when things go wrong, don’t blame your subordinates for your actions, and don’t preemptively throw insults and tantrums when you might be able to get out of trouble by keeping your mouth shut. 
> 
> Also (and this is something I have said far too many times in my role as a teacher): if your friend has been told not to do the thing, that does not give YOU permission to do the thing. And if you have been told not to do the thing, that is not an invitation to find a loophole so you’re still doing the thing. I’m not surprised that Washington kicked Hamilton out for that particular stunt (though Hamilton might have chosen to leave the army rather than being dismissed; I’m not completely certain). Washington wasn’t fond of people disobeying orders or trying to find loopholes. I doubt there’s any military officer out there who is.


	17. Ten Duel Commandments

**[Men:]  
One, two, three, four**

**[Full Company:]  
Five, six, seven, eight, nine…**

**[Burr/Hamilton/Laurens/Lee:]  
It's the Ten Duel Commandments**

**[Full Company:]  
It's the Ten Duel Commandments**

“Why would there need to be a song about this?” Laurens asked. “Every man of good social standing knows the process of formally challenging and accepting a duel.”

“We don’t duel anymore,” Robyn supplied. “This duel is the first one of the musical, so it helps to give the audience some context for later events.”

“First duel?” Washington sighed in exasperation. Then part of Robyn’s statement filtered through. “I am glad to hear that duels are no longer commonplace though. This century must be so much more peaceful, with men and women reaching consensus by talking.”

“Not exactly,” Robyn corrected. “We just don’t get revenge on people by whipping out guns. We usually use the news to insult them instead, or hit them with lawsuits that are designed to drain their resources.”

“That…that isn’t any better,” Madison spoke up slowly, looking vaguely unsettled.

**Number one!**

**[Laurens:]  
The challenge: demand satisfaction  
If they apologize, no need for further action**

“As if any man would step down at this point,” Laurens scoffed.

“Why insist on pressing forward though, if the matter is going to come to violence?” Peggy asked, frustrated.

“Because many would see an early apology as a sign of a lack of conviction,” Madison supplied. “Better to allow your second to negotiate for peace rather than concede to pressure. That is the common belief, at least.”

**[Company:]  
Number two!**

**[Laurens:]  
If they don't, grab a friend, that's your second**

**[Hamilton:]  
Your lieutenant when there's reckoning to be reckoned**

“No one else I would have rather had at my back,” Laurens said softly. Hamilton firmly clasped the shoulder of his dearest friend in silent response.

**[Company:]  
Number three!**

**[Lee:]  
Have your seconds meet face to face**

**[Burr:]  
Negotiate a peace…**

**[Hamilton:]  
Or negotiate a time and place**

“With the two of you arguing against each other?” Jefferson snorted. “No wonder it came down to a duel.”

**[Burr:]  
This is commonplace, 'specially 'tween recruits**

**[Company:]  
Most disputes die, and no one shoots**

“It is not a guarantee though,” Washington said, his own voice sharp with annoyance and frustration. “Even if most matters are settled without firing weapons, I would rather my staff not go behind my back to wave pistols at each other!”

**Number four!**

**[Laurens:]  
If they don't reach a peace, that's alright  
Time to get some pistols and a doctor on site**

**[Hamilton:]  
You pay him in advance, you treat him with civility**

**[Burr:]  
You have him turn around so he can have deniability**

“A wise move for the doctor, allowing him to keep his Hippocratic Oath,” Angelica reflected. “And a good incentive not to duel in the first place. No one wants to lose his money paying for a doctor that neither side will necessarily need.”

**[Company:]  
Five!**

**[Lee:]  
Duel before the sun is in the sky**

**[Company:]  
Pick a place to die where it's high and dry**

“Why duel so early?” Peggy asked.

“To avoid the unfair advantage of a man being blinded by the sun, or by a gun’s reflection,” Laurens supplied. “If a man shoots another man who cannot see, it is more akin to murder than a fair duel.”

“Noon is also a popular time to duel, for the same reason,” Hercules continued. “But if you want your duel performed in secrecy, then dawn is the better time for it.”

**Number six!**

**[Hamilton:]  
Leave a note for your next of kin  
Tell 'em where you been. Pray that hell or heaven lets you in**

“Why would one wish to be let into Hell?” Eliza asked in alarm. “Surely anything would be better than that!”

“Depends on your personal beliefs, I suppose,” Robyn interjected. “There are some religions where Hell—or a place of suffering in the afterlife, I should say—is not a place to be in for eternity. Instead, it’s a place to learn from your mistakes and pay your dues for the wrongs you have committed, so that you can eventually move on to a better afterlife. But if your soul is extinguished…”

“There is chance to be redeemed and to move on,” Eliza acknowledged.

**[Company:]  
Seven!**

**[Lee:]  
Confess your sins. Ready for the moment  
Of adrenaline when you finally face your opponent**

**[Company:]  
Number eight!**

**[Laurens/Lee/Hamilton/Burr:]  
Your last chance to negotiate  
Send in your seconds, see if they can set the record straight…**

“Somehow, I don’t anticipate negotiations being successful,” Jefferson said, his voice dripping with faux innocence.

**[Burr:]  
Alexander**

**[Hamilton:]  
Aaron Burr, sir**

**[Burr:]  
Can we agree that duels are dumb and immature?**

**[Hamilton:]  
Sure**

“That should have been the end of the matter,” Washington grumbled.

**  
But your man has to answer for his words, Burr**

**[Burr:]  
With his life? We both know that's absurd, sir**

**[Hamilton:]  
Hang on, how many men died because Lee was inexperienced and ruinous?**

**[Burr:]  
Okay, so we're doin' this**

“It was clear to me from the start of negotiations that they wouldn’t work,” Burr reflected. “Not just because Laurens was angry and upset, and wanted the duel, but because _Hamilton_ wanted the duel as well…perhaps even more than Laurens did.”

**[Company:]  
Number nine!**

**[Hamilton:]  
Look 'em in the eye, aim no higher  
Summon all the courage you require  
Then count**

**[Men:]  
One two three four**

**[Full Company:]  
Five six seven eight nine**

**[Hamilton/Burr:]  
Number**

**[Company:]  
Ten paces!**

“Clever,” Madison said, as the final commandment merged with the final step of the process—measuring out the ten paces of the dueling ground.

**[Hamilton/Burr:]  
Fire!**

The group flinched as the pistol shot reverberated through the room, soldiers’ hands twitching once more for weapons that were not there.

“So much for ‘no one shoots’,” Jefferson commented. “So, what was the final result?”

Robyn glanced around the room, checking for people who wanted to speak or step in, then restarted the musical once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Afterlives are very complicated, depending on what faith you are. Some believe in a strict Heaven/Hell division, some believe in a middle ground (for example, Purgatory), where people can repent or be purified, some believe in reincarnation, and so on. Judaism, from my understanding, does not involve eternal damnation. If you are a good person in life, you will move onto Olam Ha-Ba (the world to come) in death, potentially after a period of spiritual suffering as you gain wisdom from your mistakes in life. However, if you’re a truly bad person in life, and have inspired others into upmost evil, then your soul doesn’t move on. Your soul just vanishes. So yes, some faiths would pray to be let into ‘Hell’, if the other option is to never have the chance to learn, repent and eventually move on.


	18. Meet Me Inside

**[Hamilton:]  
Lee, do you yield?**

**[Burr:]  
You shot him in the side!  
Yes, he yields!**

“Of course he was going to yield. What sane man would continue to duel after being injured like that?” Jefferson asked, sending an incredulous look at Hamilton.

“You’d be surprised,” Robyn stepped in cheerfully. “Some duels have gone down in history for who the duellers were, or for how brutal the duels were. One of the more famous ones was Andrew Jackson versus Charles Dickinson, over a friend of Dickinson refusing to pay Jackson $800 for scratching his horse in a race. When it came down the duel, Dickinson shot first and hit Jackson in the chest; Jackson then took his turn, fired his gun twice as the first was only half-cocked, and managed to kill Dickinson. It was a rather controversial duel at the time, both because Jackson fired twice and Dickinson had to stand at the end of the duelling field waiting for Jackson to fire.”  
“I would say so,” Madison exclaimed. “What ended up happening to this Jackson fellow? Surely he came to no good in the end.”

“Seventh President of the United States,” Robyn stated, enjoying the incredulous stares. “Elected _after_ the duel.”

**[Laurens:]  
I'm satisfied**

**[Burr:]  
Yo, we gotta clear the field!**

**[Hamilton:]  
Go! We won**

**[Company:]  
Here comes the General!**

**[Burr:]  
This should be fun**

The small group chucked at the dry sarcasm in Burr’s voice. However, there was still a note of tension, particularly from Washington and Hamilton. They knew what the next logical event in the musical was.

**[Washington:]  
What is the meaning of this? Mr. Burr, get a medic for the General**

**[Burr:]  
Yes, sir**

**[Washington:]  
Lee, you will never agree with me  
But believe me, these young men don't speak for me  
Thank you for your service**

“Such as it was,” Lafayette snarked under his breath.

**[Burr:]  
Let's ride!**

**[Washington:]  
Hamilton!**

**[Hamilton:]  
Sir!**

**[Washington:]  
Meet me inside**

**[Company:]  
Meet him inside! Meet him inside!  
Meet him inside, meet him, meet him inside!**

Hamilton sat there in his seat, stiff as a board. The only noticeable reaction from him to the events on screen was a faint tremble in his hands as he reacted to the barely restrained fury in Washington’s voice.

**[Washington:]  
Son**

**[Hamilton:]  
Don't call me son**

“Next time, just let it go,” Hercules advised Hamilton in a whisper. Hamilton shrugged off his advice with a sharp jerk.

**[Washington:]  
This war is hard enough  
Without infighting**

**[Hamilton:]  
Lee called you out  
We called his bluff**

**[Washington:]  
You solve nothing!**

“Allowing Lee to keep running his mouth could have undermined your leadership amongst the men,” Hamilton objected.

“Whereas duelling made you look undisciplined and quarrelsome, and made me out to be a man who sends in his underlings to fight his own battles,” Washington snapped back, his voice unusually sharp.

**You aggravate our allies to the south**

**[Hamilton:]  
You're absolutely right, John should have shot him in the mouth  
That would've shut him up**

“Hamil—” Washington took a deep breath, visibly reigning in his temper. “Alexander, you should not have been wishing an even more grievous injury upon him,” Washington continued, his voice deliberately calm. Hamilton bristled silently in response to the rebuke nevertheless.

**[Washington:]  
Son**

**[Hamilton:]  
I'm notcha son**

**[Washington:]  
Watch your tone**

“Getting a bit upset there, Hamilton,” Jefferson teased.

“I am not particularly fond of my biological father, nor of my mother’s husband,” Hamilton responded, his voice cold. “I find it somewhat forgivable, then, that I have objections to men trying to claim a paternal role in my life.”

**  
I am not a maiden in need of defending, I am grown**

**[Hamilton (overlapping):]  
Charles Lee, Thomas Conway  
These men take your name and they rake it through the mud**

**[Washington:]  
My name's been through a lot, I can take it**

“Sometimes I think you don’t truly know how lucky you are,” Hamilton said, his voice full of a myriad of emotions. “You have a _name_ , sir. You have a reputation that is actually worth something. A history that is worth more than the common man’s. I would have given almost anything for the same. And yet you refuse to defend it.”

**[Hamilton:]  
Well, I don't have your name  
I don't have your titles  
I don't have your land  
But, if you**

**[Washington:]  
No**

“That was hardly the right time to make yet another bid for a bid for leadership,” Burr chided lightly. Hamilton sent him a glare in response.

**[Hamilton:]  
If you gave me command of a battalion, a group of men to lead, I could fly above my station after the war**

**[Washington:]  
Or you could die and we need you alive**

**[Hamilton:]  
I'm more than willing to die**

“I was not intending to slight your honour,” Washington said, awkwardly. “I merely want to protect you.”

**[Washington:]  
Your wife needs you alive, son, I need you alive**

**[Hamilton:]  
Call me son one more time!**

The rage and pain in Hamilton’s voice silenced the group. The pause in the music only spread out the tension; the pulses in the music subconsciously pulling everyone to the front of their seats.

**[Washington:]  
Go home, Alexander  
That's an order from your commander**

**[Hamilton:]  
Sir...**

“I don’t know who looks the more hurt, the more…devastated,” Jefferson said softly, looking back and forth between the two actors on the stage.

**[Washington:]  
Go home**

“I am sorry that I could not give you what you want, Alexander,” Washington said softly, looking into the eyes of his former aid-de-camp. “But you were vital where you were. I needed you by my side to issue orders, to harangue Congress, to coordinate troops, and to do all the many tasks that require far more skill with a pen than I have.”

“In short, if I was less successful at my job, I might have had a chance at the position I actually wanted,” Hamilton said bitterly. Robyn watched as Washington tensed, torn between speaking out and keeping the peace, and decided to help move things along.

“Should he have given you a command though?” she asked. Hamilton stared at her in bemused betrayal, but before he could speak, she raised her hand. “Think about it for a minute. There is a reoccurring trend with the stories about your life where you jump headfirst into a problem, fight until you can’t fight any more, then get back up and keep going. You have what we would describe today as a complete lack of chill. You are brave, you are bold, you never quit the field. And those traits make you a liability when in command.”

“I would have been a great commander,” Hamilton defended hotly, but in his eyes was a twinge of uncertainty. Robyn decided to press the advantage.

“Imagine this,” she said, keeping her voice low and calm. “You have a troop of soldiers to command. You are somewhere in the middle of America, fighting yet another battle, and things aren’t going your way. Washington decides to sound the retreat. Do you, Alexander Hamilton, obey orders and quit the field? Or do you decide to keep pushing, to refuse to abandon ship, and keep trying to find the advantage?”

Hamilton paused. Robyn watched as he reflected over his life: the fight with the bursar, the feud with Seabury, the theft of the cannons, the duel with Lee, and all the other moments when Hamilton had chosen to keep pushing instead of backing down and surrendering. Finally, Hamilton slumped slightly as the fight went out of him.

“I would like to say I would have obeyed His Excellency,” he admitted begrudgingly, “yet I know that I have always chosen to keep pushing instead of surrendering.”

“Sometimes a good general isn’t about showing bravery, or rallying the troops, or even about commanding them,” Washington said softly, almost paternally. “Sometimes it is about trying to make the decision that will spare the lives of the men that you command, even if you lose the battle. A war, after all, is a series of many skirmishes, and if a general is careless with his soldiers and sacrifices them for an early victory, he will quickly find himself without men when they are needed most. You have many skills, Alexander. You are intelligent, crafty, and well-spoken. But your stubbornness and temper would have turned you into a liability as a general. It was easier for me—easier for the war efforts—to keep you away from a position where you were ill-suited and instead to give you a job that none could do better.”

“Both of you sound like you’d prefer me to be like Lee, retreating at the first sign of trouble,” Hamilton grumbled.

“I have no issue with Lee choosing to retreat,” Washington said mildly. “He believed his position was too weak to defend, and he might have been right. My objection with Lee’s actions was his neglect in informing me about his choice to retreat, and his blaming his men for his actions. A good leader owns their own choices, both good and bad. He doesn’t blame his underlings when things go wrong. He shoulders the blame himself. Lee might have had a dab hand at tactics, but in the end, he was not a good leader. And I have no doubt that had you had your command and things had gone poorly, Alexander, than you would have outshone Lee like the sun does a candle.”

Hamilton looked between Washington and Robyn, his face clearly showing the fight between his pride that still wanted to defend his potential skills as a general and his growing understanding that perhaps he was, in fact, not the best choice for the role. Hamilton finished the brief conversation with a stiff and silent nod of acknowledgement to both Washington and Robyn and then returned to the seats, choosing to sit beside Eliza for the moment. But as the group resettled and Washington resumed his seat, Hamilton found himself looking towards his leader and friend with a better understanding of the man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That anecdote about President Andrew Jackson is true, though slightly condensed. The initial conflict started about the friend not paying a scratch fee, but then it escalated until the two parties agreed to duel. And yes, Jackson got hit in the chest with the first round, and Dickinson had to stand there, perfectly still as an open target, while Jackson struggled to take aim, and fired his gun twice. In a bit of karma, the bullet in Jackson’s chest was too close to his heart to remove, and he spent the rest of his life in chronic pain because of it. 
> 
> I would like to remind everyone at this point that I am basing my works off of the musical characters in terms of personality. Would the real life Alexander Hamilton have made a good general for more than the singular battle? No clue. I don’t know enough about him as a person. Would the LMM version be a good general? Probably not, simply because he doesn’t ever retreat. Obviously you don’t want a general who runs from every fight, but you also don’t want one who throws men at a problem needlessly. And Hamilton as he is depicted could easily turn into the later type of leader.
> 
> In terms of the real Hamilton’s actual time in command, we’ll get to that when we hit the Battle of Yorktown.


	19. That Would Be Enough

The softening of the music and the sight of Eliza’s counterpart smiling gently soothed the final tension left over from the previous conflict.

**[Eliza:]  
Look around, look around at how lucky we are  
To be alive right now  
Look around, look around…**

Hamilton mentally went through the list of the most important events in his life at the time in a quest to figure out what was happening. ‘ _The Battle of Monmouth, then the duel with Lee, the fight with the General…ah. Of course that is what’s happening.’_ Without another word, he abandoned his friends to rejoin his wife, who gladly swapped with Peggy to sit beside her husband.

“Are you going to spend the entire musical like this,” Eliza teased, “jumping from my side to your friends and back like a dog with two masters?”

“Perhaps,” Hamilton said with a crooked smile. “I haven’t seen Lafayette since the war; I rarely see Hercules. And John…” his voice trailed off into grief.

“I know, love,” Eliza soothed. “Sit beside them or beside me as you wish. I could never begrudge you their company.”

**[Hamilton:]  
How long have you known?**

**[Eliza:]  
A month or so**

**[Hamilton:]  
Eliza, you should have told me**

“Is she—” Madison started.

“Pregnant? Yes,” Hamilton confirmed with the softest smile many in the room had ever seen on his face. “With my son, Philip.”

**[Eliza:]  
I wrote to the General a month ago**

**[Hamilton:]  
No**

**[Eliza:]  
I begged him to send you home**

Eliza nodded as the small group looked in askance. “I was afraid,” she confessed quietly. “Naturally Mother was there to provide her advice on what to eat, what to drink, how to prepare myself for childbirth…but Philip was my first, and all I could think throughout those early months was that I wanted Alexander home. I wrote to General Washington in a moment of weakness to ask for my husband to be returned to me. I hope my letter didn’t influence your argument after Lee’s duel?”

“Not at all,” Washington assured her. “I had to take action against Hamilton’s behaviour. The duel and his role in organizing it was too public enough to be swept under the rug. I had little desire to flog Hamilton, nor see him face criminal charges. The best option for everyone was to send him home—no matter how little I wanted to do it.”

**[Hamilton:]  
You should have told me**

**[Eliza:]  
I'm not sorry**

“Nor would any wife and new mother be,” Peggy said softly. “I saw your fear and your anxiety in that first month. Every letter became a source of both fear and hope—fear that he had passed, hope that he was writing to you. I didn’t envy you in the slightest.”

**[Eliza (Hamilton):]  
I knew you'd fight until the war was won (The war's not done)  
But you deserve a chance to meet your son  
Look around, look around at how lucky we are  
To be alive right now**

“It was hard for me though,” Hamilton admitted. “I was glad to be with you, glad to see you bloom with our child. But my heart was still with the General, with Laurens and Lafayette and my fellow soldiers. I worried about them constantly, knowing that they were facing danger and ruin every day, while I remained home where I couldn’t help them.”

**[Hamilton:]  
Will you relish being a poor man's wife  
Unable to provide for your life?**

**[Eliza:]  
I relish being your wife**

“That is what it will always come down to,” Eliza assured him, placing an arm around Hamilton’s shoulder and holding him close. “For richer and poorer, for better and worse. No matter what happens in your career, whether you build a fortune worthy of Midas or choose a more humble life. I know you fear poverty and ruin—”

“You would as well if you had lived through them,” Hamilton said softly.

“And if I should, if it all goes wrong and we end up as beggars on the street, then we face our struggles together. I love you, Alexander,” Eliza assured. “We can manage the rest from there.”

**  
Look around, look around…**

**Look at where you are  
Look at where you started**

**The fact that you're alive is a miracle**

**Just stay alive, that would be enough**

Eliza held Hamilton all the tighter with that line, thinking back to the horrors that Hamilton had survived so far against all odds. _‘A miracle indeed’._

**And if this child  
Shares a fraction of your smile  
Or a fragment of your mind, look out world!  
That would be enough**

“I would prefer him to grow up with your grace, your empathy, and your ability to love against all the odds,” Hamilton said, leaning into his wife.

**I don't pretend to know  
The challenges you're facing  
The worlds you keep erasing and creating in your mind**

**But I'm not afraid  
I know who I married  
So long as you come home at the end of the day  
That would be enough**

“I know you face your challenges,” Eliza said softly. “I see it when your mind races, when your heart darkens to despair. When you are driven by some force I don’t understand to work for days on end without food or rest. But I will always be there when you come back to yourself, to offer you food and rest and comfort once again.”  
“I know,” Hamilton admitted. “I rely on it more than I can explain.”

**We don't need a legacy  
We don't need money  
If I could grant you peace of mind  
If you could let me inside your heart…**

“You have my heart,” Hamilton promised. “You, and our children, and the rest of our family.”

**Oh, let me be a part of the narrative  
In the story they will write someday**

**Let this moment be the first chapter:  
Where you decide to stay  
And I could be enough  
And we could be enough  
That would be enough**

As the music trailed off, Hamilton’s face fell somewhat. Eliza didn’t even wait for him to speak, jumping in early. “I know that I am enough for you,” she assured him, “and I know that you aren’t always able to stay. Great men are summoned to do great deeds, whether to win a war, or to build a nation. Just try to be home when you can, and actually _be_ there. Not sitting in a room with me with your mind back with Congress.” Hamilton responded simply by bowing his head and kissing her hand in the most gentle of touches as they savoured one of the few moments of peace in a time of chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say to this one, except that I’ve been watching Bridgerton and when I do my last checks for spelling/grammar/general changes I want to make, it’s sometimes a struggle to keep the characters’ original voices and not make them sound like they’re in a period drama. And yes, I know that this literally is a period drama, but I’ve already established a slightly more modern voice for the characters, and it would be too jarring to change now.


	20. Guns and Ships

As the introduction to the next song began, Eliza sighed in fond exasperation. The rest of the group looked to her in startled confusion.

“Love, the song hasn’t even started yet,” Hamilton pointed out. “Why are you already upset with it?”

“The piano chords that indicate that Burr’s narration is about to begin, the knowledge that nothing noteworthy is happening in our lives, aside from my pregnancy progressing as all pregnancies do,” Eliza nodded towards the screen. “You’re about to be called back to the front.”

**[Burr:]  
How does a ragtag volunteer army in need of a shower  
Somehow defeat a global superpower?**

**How do we emerge victorious from the quagmire?  
Leave the battlefield waving Betsy Ross' flag higher?**

“There are still days when I ask myself how we managed it,” Washington admitted. “An army of untrained, underpaid farmers and students against a professional army. We should have realistically been slaughtered.”

**Yo. Turns out we have a secret weapon!**

**An immigrant you know and love who's unafraid to step in!**

“Does your ego never stop,” Jefferson snapped at Hamilton. In response, Hamilton smirked.

“Firstly,” Hamilton said, lazily raising a finger, “The musical is about me. I’m going to feature heavily in it. Secondly, I didn’t write it, so this isn’t about my ego. And finally, you forget: I’m not part of the war currently. This isn’t my song.”

With that, heads slowly turned down the row, where a Frenchman’s face slowly began to beam.

**He's constantly confusin', confoundin' the British henchmen  
Everyone give it up for America's favourite fighting Frenchman!**

**[Company:]  
Lafayette!**

As the lights on the stage flashed on and the dancers exploded outwards, Lafayette himself punched the air with a cheer. Though he didn’t fully get up, he was still bouncing in his seat in time to the music, a massive grin taking over his face.

**[Lafayette:]  
I'm taking this horse by the reins, makin' redcoats redder with bloodstains**

**[Company:]  
Lafayette!**

**[Lafayette:]  
And I'm never gonna stop  
Until I make 'em drop  
And burn 'em up and scatter their remains,  
I'm**

**[Company:]  
Lafayette!**

“ _Mon Dieu_ ,” Lafayette breathed in wonder, “how does he talk that fast? And look at the dancers move!”

**[Lafayette:]  
Watch me engagin' 'em,  
Escapin' 'em!  
Enragin' 'em.  
I'm out!**

“The British did find fighting you particularly frustrating,” Laurens reflected. “Of course, you were one of the few trained soldiers we had in the early days of the war. It’s far easier to fight a shopkeeper who has never held a gun before than a general who actually knows what he’s doing.”

“But I did not know what I was doing,” Lafayette reminded him. “I was nineteen and without any combat experience.”

“And yet you still had more military and tactical training than most of the other men,” Hercules pointed out.

**[Company:]  
Lafayette!**

**[Lafayette:]  
I go to France for more funds**

**[Company:]  
Lafayette!**

**[Lafayette:]  
I come back with more**

**[Lafayette and Ensemble:]  
Guns  
And ships  
And so the balance shifts**

**[Washington:]  
We rendezvous  
With Rochambeau,  
Consolidate their gifts**

“We would not have won the war without you,” Washington admitted, turning to face Lafayette. “We had a crumbling economy, no ammunition, no supplies, fewer and fewer troops…without France’s help, we would be back to a British colony even now.”

“It was no trouble,” Lafayette smiled, a hint of bashfulness taking over his face. “The King was rather eager to cause trouble for the British, and he was all too willing to lend money to your cause.”

“Thank God for the longstanding rivalry between France and England,” Hercules said with a wry smile.

**[Lafayette:]  
We can end this war in Yorktown, cut them off at sea,  
But for this to succeed,  
There is someone else we need:**

**[Washington:]  
I know**

"Oh, I wonder who that person would be," Jefferson said sarcastically. "Can we get through one song without any mention of Hamilton?"

“Still my musical,” Hamilton retorted.

**[Washington and Company:]  
Hamilton!**

**[Lafayette:]  
Sir, he knows what to do in a trench  
Ingenuitive and fluent in French, I mean**

“You speak French?” Jefferson asked in surprise.

“And Danish. And some Hebrew,” Hamilton confirmed. “While I didn’t have the formal schooling that you received, my work in the trading charter made learning other languages essential.”

**[Washington and Company:]  
Hamilton!**

**[Lafayette:]  
Sir, you're gonna have to use him eventually  
What's he gonna do on the bench? I mean**

“What bench?” Hercules asked in confusion.  
“It’s a term used in a variety of team sports,” Robyn explained. “Normally you have a team on the field, and you have a variety of players sitting on a bench on the sidelines to substitute if a player on the field gets injured or worn out. If a coach chooses to keep a player ‘on the bench’, it means the player misses out on playing that game.”

**[Washington and Company:]  
Hamilton!**

**[Lafayette:]  
No one has more resilience  
Or matches my practical tactical brilliance**

“You’re starting to sound like Hamilton,” Jefferson teased his friend. Lafayette and Hamilton looked in each other’s eyes for a moment, then turned in unison to stick out their tongues at Jefferson in a childish display.

**[Washington and Company:]  
Hamilton!**

**[Lafayette:]  
You wanna fight for your land back?**

**[Company:]  
Hamilton!**

**[Washington:]  
I need my right-hand man back!**

“I might not have been able to give you a command throughout the majority of the war,” Washington said, turning to Hamilton, “the least I could do was give you a command for the final confrontation. You had done so much to keep the army going; you deserved to be there at the end, and in a position that reflected how much you had done.”

**[Women:]  
Hamilton!**

**[Lafayette (men):]  
Ah! Uh, get ya right-hand man back (Get your right-hand man back!)  
You know you gotta get ya right hand man back (Your right-hand man back!)**

**[Lafayette (women/men):]  
I mean you gotta put some thought into the letter (Hamilton!)  
But the sooner the better (Hamilton! Hamilton!)  
To get your right hand man back!**

As Lafayette’s counterpart began to rap about returning Hamilton to the field, Lafayette bopped across the front of the cinema in time to the music towards an increasingly amused Hamilton. Eliza rolled her eyes at the ridiculous display, but gently shoved Hamilton forward to rejoin the Revolutionary Set once again.

“I get him in the second act,” she called as Lafayette dragged her husband away once more.

**[Washington:]  
Alexander Hamilton  
Troops are waiting in the field for you  
If you join us right now, together we can turn the tide**

**Oh, Alexander Hamilton  
I have soldiers that will yield for you  
If we manage to get this right  
They'll surrender by early light  
The world will never be the same, Alexander…**

As the music began to slow and fade, the soldiers waited in anticipation for the start of the Battle of Yorktown. The longer that Washington and Hamilton remained together on stage, however, the clearer it became that something else entirely was about to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lafayette was one of the few soldiers in the Patriot army with actual military training (despite only being nineteen when he enlisted). He was enrolled from the age of eleven in a program to train Musketeers, and became an officer at just fourteen. Despite his training and status as an officer, the Continental Congress very nearly refused Lafayette's help, until he offered to serve without pay.
> 
> Amusingly, Congress commissioned Lafayette as a major general when they signed him on as part of the army. They intended for it to be an honourary title, seeing as Lafayette was a) a teenager, b) a Frenchman who barely spoke English, and c) lacking anything resembling battlefield experience. Lafayette, however, took his title at face value with the assumption that it meant he would eventually be allowed to command his own troops, and basically refused to listen to anyone trying to tell him 'no'. And again, he was only a teenager at the time. You have to admire his moxy.


End file.
